The deadly coffee wilt disease (CWD) has attacked Tanzania's Missenyi District, wiping out about 12,000 coffee trees, almost one-third of the total crop. A total of 2,809 coffee trees have been uprooted and burned while another 8,602, approximately 65 per cent of those affected, were still on the farms. It is feared the disease could spread to other areas.
A ward councillor in the area, Esther Rwegasira, revealed that at her farm alone, a total of 2,700 out of 3,600 coffee trees had been destroyed by the CWD, a 75 per cent loss. She said she was initially harvesting an average of between three and four tonnes annually. After the CWD outbreak, her annual yield had been reduced to 900kg.
Farmers have lamented that almost 70 to 80 per cent of their coffee farms have been struck by the deadly CWD. They appealed to relevant authorities to urgently address the problem and assist them by getting alternative coffee varieties which were resistant to the CWD.
An officer of the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TACRI), Nyambisi Ng'homa, appealed to the farmers to unite and form farmers' contact groups to make it easier to fight the disease. He said it could wipe out the entire coffee crop in the region unless concerted efforts are taken to check it.
Ng'homa urged farmers to uproot and destroy by burning coffee trees that show signs of wilting. He, however, warned them to take precautions as unsuspecting farmers could spread the disease. He advised them to properly clean tools with boiling water. He assured farmers that researchers have introduced five new coffee varieties, which are currently being multiplied for widespread distribution.
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