Mozambican authorities say a fungal infection which eats at banana plants is to blame for at least 2,400 people losing their jobs.

They say Panama disease has hit plantations in the northern provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, across an estimated area of 1,300 hectares.

The country says it is looking for alternative banana varieties which are resistant to the disease.

A spokesman for plant health at Mozambique’s ministry of agriculture and food security says:

So far, the varieties tested aren’t resistant enough. They’ve been imported from Taiwan and show some resistance but aren’t completely resistant. They can endure the disease, depending on the stress. 

But the more fungus the soil has, the more stressed they become. Under these conditions the plants can not bear the brunt. They also end up becoming infested.”

AFP