
According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) statistics, Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) produces about 50 million tons of banana per year, that is, about a third of global production and covering more than seven million hectares (60% of global growing areas)
BXW, a disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm), is the most widespread bacterial disease in Africa and it has been characterized as one of the four most important emerging infectious diseases of crop plants in developing countries.