Banana farmers learning how to grow banana in Gulu demonstration farm in Ogwil :PHOTO by Simon Wokorach
By Simon Wokorach
Gulu :The Uganda National Banana Research Program findings project an annual market value loss of 11 billion shilling in Northern Uganda in banana supply chain.
The report, released in Gulu district on July 7, puts annual market value of banana supply in the region at 15 billion shillings.
The supply from the North disproportionately contributes to only 4 billion shillings while the largest market is reportedly dominated by Western, Central and Eastern parts of the Country.
The World Economic Forum notes that Uganda comes second after India in the World as the largest producers and consumers of bananas with 75% of the population relying on bananas as staple food.
Initially, banana was largely grown in Central Uganda between 1958 and 2016 at 41%, Western 29% and Eastern 27%.
However, there has been recent geographical shift in production with Western Uganda rising by 15% and Central dropping by 3% as noted in the report.
Eastern Uganda which stood at 27% has declined by 2% while Northern Uganda declined to a mere 2%. Government now struggles to scale up production in the region.
In a recent interview, Dr. Priver Namanya Bwesigye, the team leader of National Banana Research Program says, their recent study discovered several growth factors for supporting banana crops in the region.
She notes that, since 2016, the researchers have concentrated on studying the region’s climate and soils to inform intervention of knowledge gaps and rethinking bananas as one of the perennial crop enterprises.
“The climate is suitable for many crops. It shocks me that each time I travel to the region I find youths drunk in trading centres in the morning. Development can’t happen without the youths,” She noted.
Dr. Namanya further argues that northern region needs food security as part of its socio-economic transformation.
The World Bank notes that the annual production of bananas in Uganda stands at 8.45 million tons accounting for 15% of the World’s banana plantation output.
The production in Uganda is mainly driven by household consumption which stands between 220 to 400 kilograms per person per capita with only 30% of the production being sold.
Banana production supports the Country’s agro-community supply chains which on average contributes 3 million dollars to gross domestic product from foreign markets.
But the average yield per annum in Uganda is rated between 5 to 30 tons, quite below the attainable yield of 60 to 70 tons due to little input investment, inadequate moistures, pests and diseases.
Facts about bananas
Bananas have very high water consumption rate standing between 1,500 to 2,500 millimeters per annum with a temperature of 27 degree Celsius while its lowest average temperature stands at 12 degree Celsius.
But with good management, Fahadi Musaasi, a Research Scientist with National Agricultural Research Laboratories notes that with low rainfall as below 1,200 mm, bananas can still be supported to grow.
In that case, he observes that farmers have to adopt climate smart agriculture like harvesting and storing rain water for irrigation.
He says the rain water potentially supports farmers with irrigation during dry season for year-long banana production.
Once farmers adopt good agronomic practices according to him, an average farmer from the region can earn as much as 15 million shillings from an acre of bananas per annum.
The researcher adds that an acre of land with about 450 stems can potentially produce 3 bunches of bananas per year while the overall field is projected to produce as much as 1350 bunches with good management.
With northern Uganda lying in the lowlands, Fahadi noted that the region has a comparative disadvantage of the emerging pests and diseases which threaten the survival of banana production.
The region is naturally plagued with pests such as banana weevils, nematodes and fusarium soil borne disease and sigatoka, a leaf spot disease which normally attacks traditional banana crop varieties.
Not all is lost
Fahadi explained that scientists have developed both pest and disease resistant crop varieties suitable for the region.
The new banana crop varieties which he said have been tested and survived in the region with good yields include M27, M30 and FHIA 17 which have given hope to farmers.
Jackson Lakor, the Production Officer Gulu district says banana production is an opportunity worth exploring.
He revealed that the district has partnered with Gulu University scientists to study pest and disease resistant varieties of the crop, with hope of having their seeds locally manufactured in the region.
Gulu district chairperson Christopher Opiyo Ateker revealed that between 2020 and 2022, the district had only 25 registered banana farmers but the number currently stands at 78 which is expected to double in 2024 farming season.
“This money for co-funding will help boost water for farmers especially during dry season so that we keep production throughout the year,” Ateker explained.
Banana farmer David Lukungu from Gwil village in Paicho Sub County, revealed that the Cooperative has already sold out 10,000 banana suckers from March to July this year and released over 15 million shillings from the seedlings alone.
Through their umbrella body, Gang Lobolo Farmers’ Cooperative Society, the farmers have established 25 banana demonstration farms with support from National Agricultural Research Organisation.
As of July 7, 2024, Susan Ayoo, a youth from Boke village, Lira district had travelled to one of the farms in Gwil village to study banana farming best practices.
“I am a manager of a banana farm in my district but what excited me here is how everything about banana is set up. The effort in controlling pests and diseases impressed me a lot” she said.
With community farmers’ led initiatives like Gang Labolo Farmer’s Cooperative Society, there is still hope that in the near future, banana farmers in northern Uganda will thrive like their counterparts from other parts of the country.
