Thousands of Zambians in Luapula province in northern Zambia are threatened with hunger after a brown streak and another mysterious disease hit more than 20,000 hectares of cassava-their staple.
Nchelenge, Mwansabombwe, Kawambwa are among other cassava producing areas that are grossly affected by the Brown Streak and a mysterious termite that is forcing the tuber to rot forcing the farmers to fail to harvest, a threat to food security in the area.
Findings by lawmakers and Zambia Agriculture Research Institute confirm that multitudes of hectare land have been affected in more than six districts of the country that grow cassava for consumption and commercial-including being an ingredient for clear Beer-Eagle-a brand by Northern Breweries-a unit of Zambia Breweries.
The brand launched three years ago has attracted business to brewers who have bolstered its production in excess of 20,000 tons from various farmers in Luapula and other areas where the soil is adaptable.
Kabaso Kapampi, a lawmaker from Mwansabombwe in north eastern Zambia laments the increased damage to the crop because of the termite which has threatened the lives of the local people with a call for authorities in disaster and agriculture to resolve the matter and avert hunger.
“It’s a disaster, we literally have no food, my people have been left with no food because the termites have forced all the tubers to rot which is the actual reason it is grown,” he says, while praying for appeal.
“We have basically asked the Government to declare this problem a disaster because people in the area have no food, it has been eaten by the termite, and we are talking about over 15,000 hectares of land which has no cassava to fall back to,” he told FRA in an interview.
ZARI, in its research, has established that various tubers in Luapula province have been affected by the disease.
Recently Brown Streak was reported to have affected some farmers that rely on selling the crop commercially and for household food security.
