Monday, March 11, 2013

East Africa: East African Farmers to Gain From Disease Resistant Banana


East Africa: East African Farmers to Gain From Disease Resistant Banana


Arusha, Tanzania — Farmers in the region are likely to benefit from the bacterial wilt resistant banana plantlets that have been developed in Uganda.
The technology involves combining the genes of white pepper and that of bananas.Banana wilt has been affected the quality of their yields and thereby reducing the prices of banana at the world market.
With climate change, population increase, pest and diseases, soil infertility as well as drought due to climate unpredictability, scientists around the world are struggling to find the best ways of solving these challenges using modern methods.
According to Wilfred Mushobozi, the Chief Executive Officer of Crop Bioscience Solutions, who is also a scientist based in Arusha, Ugandan researchers at the Kawanda Research Institute have managed to breed banana wilt resistant crops.He stressed that the newly developed wilt resistant crops will be distributed throughout East Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo free of charge to farmers.
The bacterial wilt in Banana is caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) with symptoms that include progressive yellowing and wilting of leaves, shriveling of male buds, premature ripening and internal discoloration of fruits.For Uganda, it is estimated that the disease caused losses of up to US$35 million in 2005, and it was projected that in 2006 the country was expected to lose up to US$100 million as the disease had already spread to at least 30% of all banana growing areas.
According to reports from Agricultural and Development Research Institute, a large number of farms also were destroyed in 2006 in Kagera region in Tanzania, a region that borders Uganda to the north-western part.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Poor irrigation slows crop research efforts

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ARUSHA, TANZANIA - Poor infrastructure in crop breeding research institutions have been pointed out as a major problem hindering the development of research in Tanzania.
The problem has also affected timely development of new varieties.
 (Farmers at Tengeru in Arusha taking care of the wilds in their field, Photo By Kenan Kalagho)
According to the Principal Agriculture Research Officer at Selian Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) Mr. Ibrahim Mamuya, improved irrigation systems in research centers reduce the period of researching for new varieties.
“Our reliance on the rainy seasons to crisscross crops year after year to come up with new and better hybrids is still a challenge,” said Mamuya.
Most crop breeding research institutions in Tanzania, lack irrigation facilities. They depend mainly on rainy seasons, making breeders.
“The country must develop technologies that require the selection of plants at gene level rather than using observation selection,” stresses Mamuya.
Mr. Sosthenes Kweka the National Bean Research coordinator says that for the past 27 years SARI has been able to breed eight different types of bean varieties that include five bush varieties and three climbing varieties.
He named the varieties as Lyamungu 85, Lyamungu 90, Serian 94 and JESCA. Others are Serian 97, Serian 05, Serian 06 and Cheupe.

BG invests $2b in Tanzania oil, gas

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DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - As East African states continue to explore for more oil and gas in their respective regions, British Gas East Africa has said that they have invested $2b in Tanzania due to the great potential the country has in oil and gas.
Speaking to East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam last week, the President and Asset General Manager for BG East Africa, Mr. Derek Hudson said that Tanzania has a great opportunity and prosperous in oil and gas than other East African countries due to the availability of deep water.
“So far around $2bn has been invested by BG East Africa in oil and gas projects here,” Mr. Hudson said, adding that his company will continue with its investment plans in Tanzania.
Hudson noted that Tanzania stands at a better chance of growing in the oil and gas industry due to the availability of the market for the products in the country.
He said his company is willing to build business with government in conjunction with the public that would aim at growing the country’s economy.
“The investment we are making in the country is for the mutual benefit for all, Mr. Hudson said adding that despite the road for oil and gas being ruff and stiff he was optimistic that BG Tanzania will make it.”
He however pointed out that the public need to be patient in the development of oil and gas as these investments takes time to benefit countries.
He underscored that the current investment his company was making will be able to produce oil and gas between 2021 and 2022, stressing that BG East Africa will focus much on training and offering scholarships to Tanzanians that will aim at equipping them with the relevant expertise in the oil and gas sector.
So far BG East Africa has spent around $40m on vocational training of Tanzanians in Lindi and Mtwara located on the Southcoast of Tanzania equipping them with skills which will later make them have access to jobs in the gas and oil sectors.
Dr. Antony Wyatt, a Geologist with Robert Gordon University in the UK stressed for the importance on training, saying both oil and gas sectors needed well trained personnel’s and it was important for locals to be empowered with such trainings in order to make them access jobs in oil and gas sector in the county.
Wyatt said that for oil and gas industry to develop in the country it has to start with foreign expertise who will later train and transfer such expertise to locals as training needs both time and human resource.
“Oil and gas companies invest for years and short term gains are not good for both the government and oil companies” Dr. Wyatt said.