Adrine Twakiire, a farmer from Buhunga Sub County says that her two acres of coffee plantations were growing perfectly last year until they were invaded by a pest she could not identify.
Farmers in Rukungiri district are battling the invasion of black
coffee twig borers.
The farmers argue that the disease has affected their expected output.
Adrine Twakiire, a farmer from Buhunga Sub County says that her
two acres of coffee plantations were growing perfectly last year until they
were invaded by a pest she could not identify. Twakiire explains that on
consulting other farmers, she was told that her plants have been attacked by
Coffee twig borers.
Twakiire says that she is stuck yet the borer is seriously
destroying her coffee plants.
Ismail Musimenta a coffee farmer from Bwambara Sub County says
that out of his two acres less than 20 plants are still surviving. Twakiire
says that his efforts of spraying with chemicals have not yielded positive.
//Cue in: “nitugyezaho kuguhinga konka…
Cue out: …byanga still.”//
Gideon Havy, another farmer from Nyakatembe A village in Kikara parish,
says that the invasion of the disease has greatly affected his harvests. Havy
says that the pesticide he got from his sub-county extension worker partly
killed black coffee twig borers.
He, however, says that he stopped further spraying after failing
to raise funds to buy more pesticides.
//Cue in: “twine ebizibu byobukooko…
Cue out: …mukye tinayongyeramu.”//
Edgar Nabasa, Uganda Coffee Development Authority Extension
Officer-in-charge of Rukungiri and Kanungu districts advises farmers to use
local methods of controlling the borer by pruning and weeding of coffee plants.
Colonel Martin Nahurira, the head of Operation Wealth Creation in
Rukungiri district says that unwanted branches on a coffee plant work as a
perfect hibernation for Black Coffee Twig Borers.
