Biotech Updates

Efforts to Halt Cassava and Banana Devastation in East and Central Africa Gain Momentum

June 8, 2007

The Crop Crisis Control Project (C3P) has been reaping rewards from its efforts to mitigate the effects of cassava mosaic virus disease and banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) in six countries of East and Central Africa - Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. According to the quarterly report of the Project, a total of 706.5 hectares – a 30% increase over the C3P target - of cassava-resistant materials are in production across the six countries.

Cassava and banana constitute the main staple food for about half of the population in East Africa. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has developed several improved cassava varieties resistant to CMD and other diseases. The varieties are drought-resistant, early maturing, high yielding, and low in cyanide content.

The news article is available at http://www.iita.org/cms/details/news_details.aspx?articleid=1049&zoneid=81.