Ibo Coco Puzzle Remains Unsolved

It is close to four years since a yet to be known disease attacked Colocassia esculenta commonly called “Ibo coco” in the Southwest Region. Rotting and unfit for consumption, the cause of the decline of the staple remains elusive.
By Regina Fonjia Leke
“Initially, small, round and dark lesions appeared on the leaves of the plant also known as taro. A drop of liquid exudes from the spots that turns orange, purple and brown. These spots rapidly enlarge to more than 5 cm in diameter and become purplish to brownish. Eventually the whole leaf becomes affected, dries up and dies,” Elame Germain, South West Sub-Regional Delegate for Agriculture, told The Green Vision.
Elame explained that once this occurred, it affected the cormels (small tubers) and cormes (big tubers) and they became rotten and unfit for consumption. 
So far, the emergence of this disease has sparked up controversies amongst farmers and researchers. There have been different interpretations as to the origin, the name and the cause of the disease. Many are those that have linked it to acid rain or a malediction. 
Some researchers have likened the disease to the taro leaf blight which hit other regions of Africa given the similarities in the symptoms. 
Elame said when the disease first manifested, they conducted a survey and realized that the problem was present in most farms around Buea Town, Muea, Lysoka, Bomaka, Dibanda, Wotutu, Tole, Bokwa and Bonakanda. 
A further survey revealed that the whole of the Southwest Region had become infected and the crop was getting extinct in the region. In some areas, farmers harvested fresh cocoyams from the farm, but if they didn’t prepare it immediately, the crop would start rotting the next day. 
“I first noticed the spots on the leaves of the crop early 2010 in my farm. This was really unusual, because I had never seen such a disease. When I harvested the tubers, I realized they were good, but when I kept them in the house for a day or two, they started rotting, that was when I understood there was really something wrong,” Ms. Eposi Helen, a farmer in Bonakanda said.
The Green Vision also gathered at that when the disease attacked Ibo coco, the then Minister of Agriculture dispatched a team to get the names of those who had lost their crops to the disease for compensation, “But as we speak, these victims have not yet receive a dime” said Elame. 
As farmers wait for a solution, the prices of Ibo coco substitutes like Makabo, plantains, sweet potatoes and yams are soaring. 
A bunch of plantain which used to cost 2,000 francs cfa is now sold at 4,000 francs cfa. The same goes for yams and Makabo. 
“Ibo coco was always affordable for me given that I have a large family. I used to buy a bag of it for 5,000 francs cfa and it could feed my family for a month,” Nkanjia Josephine aid.
In the past farmers exported Ibo coco to nearby Gabon, Tchad, Equatorial Guinea and Central Africa Republic. 
Statistics from the Delegation of Agriculture indicate that after maize and plantains, Ibo coco always came third in terms of production and hundreds of tons exported every year fetched in foreign currency.
Good Business
Some traders have taken advantage of the absence of Ibo coco in the South West and are doing brisk business. They buy the tubers from the Northwest where the disease is not yet so evident and sell in the Southwest at cut-throat prices. 
“I buy a bag of Ibo coco from the Ndop Plains at 5000 francs cfa and sell it in Buea for 13,000 francs cfa. In the days before the disease hit the sector, a bag cost just about 4000 francs cfa,” Said the trader at the Buea main market. 
This notwithstanding, some farmers from the Northwest say the disease is fast spreading to the Region. 
Stalemate 
“We at Agriculture have tried our best by educating farmers on how to adapt to this strange disease. Farmers should not plant seeds from the affected plant because they would be carrying the pathogen causing the disease. They should treat their seeds using a systematic fungicide. We also advised farmers to plant during off-seasons, around October when the rains are giving off so that they harvest in the heart of the dry season,” Elame advised.
He said they should equally avoid planting in swampy areas given that too much water encourages fungi multiplication, thereby increasing the incidence of the disease.
“We are waiting for the research results from the Institute for Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), Ekona, and its partners,” said Elame. 
On their part, laboratory staff at IRAD said since the incidence of the Ibo coco disease, no meaningful research has been conducted because of inadequate funding.
“As far as I know, no research has been conducted in this laboratory where I work. All I can say from the disease symptoms is that it is the phythophthora colocasia taro leaf blight. For this to be confirmed, we need to  go down to the field and collect samples to understand the severity of the disease, the ecological distribution and test in the laboratory, but unfortunately we have not had funding to do that,” Dr. Oumar Doungous, a plant biotechnologist, told The Green Vision. He said his colleagues wrote proposals and sent to hierarchy two years ago but till date, no money has been disbursed for the research to kick off.
Ngone Mercy, a specialist in plant tissue culture at the same laboratory, said it must be a pathogen causing the blight in the crop. 
She, however, said an elaborate research needs to be conducted to ascertain what pathogen is causing the disease. 
She said they lack funds to carry out the necessary research.
The Chief of the Research Centre, Dr. Kingsley A. Etchu, had a different story. 
“It is a problem which came up and we cannot just give the research results which are still in the laboratory for consumers to start using. We have to establish that the results we have realized are applicable to solve the problem that is affecting Ibo coco,” Dr. Etchu said.
He said the problem has now been identified in collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as well as other research institutes in the University of Gent in Belgium. 
“A solution is being enhanced to solve this problem and I would like to advise farmers to exercise patience. It is aching to know that what used to be a staple on the farmer’s table is not available. They should expect the results in the days ahead,” Dr. Etchu added.