| Summary: | The invasion of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), the causal agent of the lethal bunchy top disease of banana and plantain, is threatening the continent’s most important banana production region in East Africa. The virus spread, confirmed in the 2020s in Tanzania and Uganda, is spreading fast.
For instance, the delimitation survey undertaken with the support of the USAID and CGIAR Plant Health Initiative in 2023 revealed BBTV occurrence in 7 of the 10 major banana production regions in Tanzania. IITA in collaboration with TPHPA, TARI, and TAHA combats the spread in Tanzania and Eastern Africa.
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