SOUTHERN PROVINCENYAMAGABE — The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives has moved to help passion fruit growers in Musebeya, and Mushubi sector. The ministry is looking to help organise the trade, and help growers benefit from their investments. In a meeting with representatives of passion fruit growers from different associations, state minister of trade and commerce Vincent Karega advised farmers to form cooperatives as a way to help earlier complaints of random price fluctuations. Minister Karega commended farmers for their efforts in producing the much-needed fruit despite problems and said the ministry was ready to help. “We are going to help these farmers get organised into strong cooperatives. This will hep them control prices because they will be fixing a uniform price and helping them improve their production will be easy because of the organisation,” said Karega. According to Peter Muvara, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture in charge of horticulture, building stores will help farmers keep their produce fresher for longer. “We shall construct modern stores which will not need electricity in their operation. It is hoped that these stores will also serve as selling points,” he said. The sectors of Musebeya and Mushubi produce the highest-quality passion fruit in the country, given the favourable climatic conditions in the area. The fruit has attracted buyers from as far as Uganda. Big buyers like Inyange Industries are looking to buy upwards of 63 tonnes of the fruit daily. He promised to deliver over 8000 seedlings for the next planting season.Ends
