Guest guest Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17111540%26method=full%26siteid=9 4762%26headline=yes--we-ll-have-no-bananas---name_page.html http://tinyurl.com/gvxvo 22 May 2006 YES, WE'LL HAVE NO BANANAS.. Disease threatens to wipe them out By Paul Byrne BANANAS could be wiped out by a deadly fungus that has attacked plantations. The nation's favourite fruit is facing disaster on the scale of the 19th- century Irish potato famine. Experts are fighting to stop the spread of black Sigatoka and Panama fungi which has hit production of Cavendish bananas in Asia and Latin America. But many fear it could be too late to stop the blight. Ann Vezina of the Improvement of Banana and Plantain network said: " We are very concerned. There is no doubt the Cavendish is facing a problem. " We are spending a great deal of effort fighting black Sigatoka, which attacks the plant leaves, with intensive pesticide spraying. " If the disease hits big plantations then we are in trouble. " Once the fungus gets into the soil, it cannot be got rid of. " In the 50s, the Gros Michel banana was wiped out by the Panama fungus. Biologists are trying to cultivate new versions to replace the Cavendish. Many varieties have been destroyed because of forest destruction for logging. FRUIT and veg is up to 50 per cent cheaper at market stalls than supermarkets and there is a bigger variety to choose from, a report by the New Economic Foundation reveals. Brits spend more than �750m on bananas in a year 95% of households buy them every week In.2005 we ate 2.5bn bananas Demand for them has doubled since 1990 Bananas are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin B6, and can help to lower blood pressure 35,000 bananas will be eaten by players, linesmen and ball boys and girls at this year's Wimbledon Bananas originated in Malaysia, where they have been grown for more than 4,000 years paul.byrne Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. - Dwight D. Eisenhower http://www.sharedvoice.org/unamerican/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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