Nyanza banana farmers eye wider market

Richard Nkundimana uprooted his old banana plantation to embrace a new and improved banana variety. For many people, including his wife, it was an unnecessary risk. But, the story today has changed. “I doubted the viability of the variety he was bringing, but I have since realised its yield is more than we had before. We used to harvest a bunch of banana weighing 2kg, but now we harvest bunches as heavy as 80kg or 100kg, which is a remarkable progress,” Nkundimana’s wife, Immaculée Mukabanza, says with a glow on her face. “It was common to hear talk that in Kavumu area, no bunch of banana can be sold above Rwf500. However, there is evidence that the status quo has changed,” Nkundimana, 28, said, speaking from his banana plantation in Kavumu, Busasamana Sector, Nyanza District. He added that sometimes he harvests a banana weighing 150kg. A kilogramme of banana is sold at between Rwf160 and Rwf180. The prospect of the huge benefits from banana growing was also underscored by Godfrey Gatera, a banana farmer from Nyamagana B Village in Busasamana Sector. “For instance, space that a banana plantain occupies can earn one Rwf5,000 in a season, while the beans planted on the same space can only fetch Rwf500,” he said to highlight the profitability in growing bananas. In 2013, following Nkundimana’s appeal to local authorities to promote improved bananas in his village, Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) provided 300 banana suckers and training in form of farmer field school (FFS). The trainees included farmers who Nkundimana interested in growing bananas under a cooperative. Nkundimana and his colleagues contend that the banana growing skills they acquired from RAB workers were very instrumental. In October 2014, ActionAid Rwanda intervened and, after a rigorous training in best banana farming practices, provided farmers with 8,000 banana suckers, which they planted on a 7.5ha piece of land. Currently, the farmers grow bananas on an estimated 25 ha. Nkundimana said, this year, ActionAid will also provide them with other banana suckers to grow on another 7.5ha. The cooperative members expressed interest in setting up a banana processing plant to add value to their produce for more revenue. “If the banana processing factory is constructed, farmers will get a ready market for their produce. This will improve the standard of living of the members,” Nkundimana said. He said the factory would make wine and biscuits from bananas. “We are eyeing a wider market, beyond our country and, therefore, we want to make high quality products,” he noted. Nkundimana was a tailor before opting for banana farming. He said tailoring used to earn him between Rw2,000 and Rwf3,000 per day (or Rwf60,000 to Rwf90,000 per month). He, however, he was able to earn over Rwf1 million from his first banana harvest. Nkundimana said from his 2-ha piece of land with over 2,000 banana plantains, he expects to earn about Rwf1 million per month from the next harvest. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Nyanza banana farmers eye wider market