By Weswa Ronnie
BUGISU
Coffee farmers from two districts of Bulambuli and Sironko in the Bugisu sub-region are counting losses after an attack by coffee leaf rust disease which has destroyed their coffee crops.
Coffee rust is a disease caused by a rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix. It can reduce coffee production by between 30% to 50%.
The affected sub counties are Buhugu, Masaba, Busulani, Bumasifwa, Bumalimba among others in Sironko then sub counties like Lusha, and Buginyaya in Bulambuli district.
This was revealed by Francis Nabugodi, the Sironko district agricultural officer while speaking to hundreds of coffee farmers who had turned up to get goats donated by the International Center for Research and Agro Forestry at Buhugu sub county head offices located in Sironko district on Friday, 8th November, 2024.
International Center for research and agro forestry is a non-government organization which donated indigenous tree species last year to coffee farmers in Sironko and Bulambuli districts with the aim of boosting production and improving agro forestry in Bugisu region.
All farmers who cared well for his or her trees after planting were rewarded with a goat each in Sironko while in Bulambuli, they got spray pumps.
Nabugodi says this has affected farmers negatively in terms of production and since its coffee season, they are going to make losses.
He says that he has instructed extension workers to start massive sensitization of farmers from the six affected sub counties about preventive measures like spraying such that they can curb down the spread.
Nabugodi urged the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry to give the district chemicals such that they can give farmers to spray since majority cannot afford.
Julius Sagaiti, the LCIII chairperson of Lusha sub-county in Bulambuli district says that his sub county is the worst affected with over 100 farmers having all their gardens affected.
He urged Bulambuli district leaders to come up with a quick solution warning that farmers are going to be affected badly.
Timothy Wegoye and Suzan Nanduga, all affected coffee farmers from Bukisa, the worst affected Sub County, say majority of farmers are ignorant about preventive measures and do not know the chemical for spraying urging extension workers to use the media to sensitize them.
Source link
