Banana Disease Persists

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31080, 8 June 1966, Page 3

Banana Disease Persists

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.)

APIA, June 7

It will be years before Western Samoa is again the main supplier of bananas to New Zealand.

For some time before the devastating hurricane in January the crops had been affected by a disease called “bunchy top.” Now, as new crops grow, the disease is still evident.

Money from New Zealand’s £75,000 plantation rehabilitation loan is being spent developing disease-free plantations.

Because bananas are Western Samoa’s largest cash crop only loan money, and none of the £25,000 gift from New Zealand, is being spent on redeveloping plantations. “It is hoped there will be some bananas for export to New Zealand by mid-July," said the export division manager of the Western Samoa Department of Agriculture (Mr D. -Ashby). “It will be years, though, before the average of 500,000 to 700,000 cases a year is again being exported to New Zealand. Bunchy top causes the leaves, instead of fanning out.

to bunch together and grow upright. This results in poor crops and small bananas unsuitable for export. “Bunchy top has spread with a great flourish and because there is still some yield of bananas it is difficult to convince many growers that

their crop is diseased and useless,” said Mr Ashby. “As part of the rehabilitation plan healthy plants are being given free for new plantations. It is also intended to develop a Government plantation that will serve as an example to growers,” he said.