IITA Alerts Farmers of Banana Virus

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, has alerted farmers of the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) which has destroyed banana plantations across West Africa.

The alert was contained in a statement in Lagos by Dr Lava Kumar, a virologist at IITA.

Kumar said the BBTV was on the increase, especially in Nigeria-- the second largest producer of banana in West Africa.

He said that the virus was widespread in the border towns of Idiroko, Ilashe, Odan-Itoro, Ido-Ologun, and Igbogila --all in Ogun, Nigeria.

According to him, the virus is capable of devastating banana farms and those who earn a living from the crop.

“If not checked, the virus will devastate banana farms and jeopardise the livelihoods of millions of farmers who earn their livelihoods from the crop.

”Systematic studies on yield losses have not been done but empirical observations indicate 50 to 90 per cent loss in the affected region,” Kumar said.

Also, Mr Charles Onyeani, Head of IITA’s Post-Entry Quarantine, Nigeria Agriculture Quarantine Services (NAQS), warned against movement of planting materials from infected areas to uninfected areas.

Onyeani said that to checkmate the spread of the virus, banana planting materials should not be moved from infected areas to uninfected areas.

The disease was first discovered by IITA, in collaboration with the University of Ibadan and NAQS, in 2012.

According to reports by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nigeria produces 2.74 million tonnes of banana yearly.