Banana exports to triple

Floris Rwanda, a leading horticultural exporter plans to triple banana supplies to Europe from the current two tonnes per week to six weekly. To sustain the demand, the company also plans to double the acreage of banana plantations from the current 36 to 60 hectares. The plantations are in Kirehe district in Eastern region. Donatille Nibagwire, the Director of Floris, said Europeans like bananas from Rwanda partly because they are of high quality. This has forced other neighboring countries in the region to use Rwanda’s trademark to penetrate the market. She said each kilogram of the bananas they export is sold at Euros 4 (about Frw3, 387), 30 times more than the current market price in Rwanda.