Zomba District Agriculture Office has enhanced efforts to restore the banana crop which was destroyed by banana bunchy top virus.

Zomba is one of the districts which lost a large chunk of its banana crop due to the disease.

Currently the district is running a project in three Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) of Malaosa, Thondwe and Dzawone which is aimed at multiplying and distributing new variety of banana crop to small holder farmers.

One of the officers at  from Zomba Agriculture Office, Grace Malinda, said the project has so far reached 270 small holder farmers in the three EPAs.

Malinda said: “The initiative started in 2019 and so far we have reached 270 small holder farmers in three EPAs as a pilot project but our target is to reach the whole district.”

According to Malinda, they first multiply the banana suckers in utility chambers before distributing them to farmers for plantation.

She has therefore expressed optimism that the project will help to ring back the lost glory of the banana crop and further urged farmers who are willing to take part in the project to consult the office of agriculture in the district.

The crop is being provided to Zomba agriculture office by the research department in the Ministry of Agriculture with support from Agriculture Sector Wide Approach Support-project 2.