5,000 acres of cassava destroyed
Apr 10, 2011
OVER 2,000 families in Serere district are facing starvation following an outbreak of the brown streak disease that destroyed over 5,000 acres of cassava plantations.
By Godfrey Ojore
OVER 2,000 families in Serere district are facing starvation following an outbreak of the brown streak disease that destroyed over 5,000 acres of cassava plantations.
Olio sub-county is the most hit, where people are now surviving on raw mangoes, black berries and vegetable soup.
The affected parishes in Olio include Akoboi, Okulonyo, Odungura, Oburin, Osuguro and Kakusi, where victims are calling upon the Government to rescue them with relief food.
“I lost three acres of cassava and l have 15 children, what will we survive on?†asked Ann Aligoi of Akoboi parish.
The disease has affected four varieties of cassava that include Akena, 2961, TME 14 and 204. All are new varieties from the Serere Agricultural Research Department in Serere district.
Cassava bread is the staple food for the Iteso, while rice and posho are eaten on festive sessions like Easter and Christmas.
“It’s a big problem to the people of Serere because cassava is the main source of income,†said Vincent Ogiro, the acting district production and marketing coordinator.
Local authorities are recording increasing cases of theft of turkeys, chicken and bicycles, said the LC1 of Okoboi, Stephen Asuri.
He added that most of the people have started disserting the village for landing sites in Bangala in Busoga to fish as the situation worsens.
Gusberito Ecemu, 76, said due to the famine, his wife had left him because he could not feed her.
Michael Oyunai, the lay reader of Akoboi Church of Uganda, said his salary of sh20,000 is inadequate to sustain his family of 11 people.
“My hopes are all shattered. I am here with nothing. Even my children are at the verge of dropping out of school because I have no source of money,†Oyunai said.
He said he was expecting to earn sh4m from his four acres of cassava that were destroyed.
The district councillor of Olio, Robert Agwau, whose 11 acres were destroyed, said he was expecting to earn sh25m this year.
OVER 2,000 families in Serere district are facing starvation following an outbreak of the brown streak disease that destroyed over 5,000 acres of cassava plantations.
Olio sub-county is the most hit, where people are now surviving on raw mangoes, black berries and vegetable soup.
The affected parishes in Olio include Akoboi, Okulonyo, Odungura, Oburin, Osuguro and Kakusi, where victims are calling upon the Government to rescue them with relief food.
“I lost three acres of cassava and l have 15 children, what will we survive on?†asked Ann Aligoi of Akoboi parish.
The disease has affected four varieties of cassava that include Akena, 2961, TME 14 and 204. All are new varieties from the Serere Agricultural Research Department in Serere district.
Cassava bread is the staple food for the Iteso, while rice and posho are eaten on festive sessions like Easter and Christmas.
“It’s a big problem to the people of Serere because cassava is the main source of income,†said Vincent Ogiro, the acting district production and marketing coordinator.
Local authorities are recording increasing cases of theft of turkeys, chicken and bicycles, said the LC1 of Okoboi, Stephen Asuri.
He added that most of the people have started disserting the village for landing sites in Bangala in Busoga to fish as the situation worsens.
Gusberito Ecemu, 76, said due to the famine, his wife had left him because he could not feed her.
Michael Oyunai, the lay reader of Akoboi Church of Uganda, said his salary of sh20,000 is inadequate to sustain his family of 11 people.
“My hopes are all shattered. I am here with nothing. Even my children are at the verge of dropping out of school because I have no source of money,†Oyunai said.
He said he was expecting to earn sh4m from his four acres of cassava that were destroyed.
The district councillor of Olio, Robert Agwau, whose 11 acres were destroyed, said he was expecting to earn sh25m this year.