Farmers urged not to recycle infected cassava cuttings

(NAIS) The Zambia Agricultural Research Institute -ZARI- has urged farmers not to recycle infected Cassava cuttings to eliminate Cassava Mosaic and suspected Cassava Brown Streak viruses.

ZARI Senior Agricultural Research Officer, MATHIAS TEMBO says most of the Cassava in Zambia is infected, which can be avoided by not planting infected cassava seed.

Mr. TEMBO says recycling infected Cassava cuttings increases the spread of diseases and reduces cassava production.

He was speaking during the quantification of clean Cassava cuttings for seed multiplication in Kasama District under the auspices of the Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Project.