Ghana’s mango sector is in dire straits, as it is faced with a disease that has overwhelmed many farmers. Sources say the government is doing little. Players in the industry are gradually losing their investments, and are making decisions that make the future of the mango industry gloomy. Experts say the bacterial black spot (BBS) is a serious mango disease that may result in a 50% to 80% reduction in fruit production.
Obed Amevor owns a 10-acre mango farm at Somanya. Mango farming has been his source of livelihood for the past 15 years. Obed says everything looked good until recently when disaster struck; a disease called the bacterial black spot, popularly known as BBS, attacked farms in the Yilo Krobo municipality, and its environs and his was not spared. Last year alone, he lost more than half of his investment to this disease.
Somanya is one of the major mango production enclaves in Ghana. Unlike other communities in Ghana, mango farmers here are able to harvest twice a year. But the bacterial black spot (BBS) is something that is causing a lot of frustration.
Source: myjoyonline.com
