First Pan African Banana Conference

(PANA)--In a bold effort to change the way bananas and plantains are produced and marketed in Africa, banana farmers, buyers, trade officials, donors and scientists were gathering in Mombasa, Kenya, this week for the first Pan African Banana Conference, due to open Friday (3Oct).

According to conference organisers International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), participants are intent on transforming smallholder banana production in Africa by linking farmers to regional and global markets, which represent billions of dollars each year in banana purchases.

Africa’s small-scale banana growers account for a third of world banana production but for only 4 percent of sales in the US$4 billion international export market.

Representatives from major international companies, in addition to companies involved in organic and fair trade banana markets, are attending the conference to examine opportunities for small-scale growers to participate in their supply chains.

‘African farmers produce an incredible volume and variety of bananas, yet only a small percentage of the globally traded bananas come from Africa,’ said Steffen Abele, an economist with the Nigeria-based IITA), which is organising the conference along with the Rome-based Bioversity International.

Both centres are supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ‘The challenge is to determine how Africa can claim a larger portion of the market in a way that puts money in the pockets of the continent’s small-scale growers,’ Abele said.

Sub-Saharan Africa produces 30 million tons of bananas, which provide food for about 100 million people and account for 35 percent of global banana and plantain production.

Uganda alone produces 10 million tonnes of banana annually, with an estimated value of US$1.7 billion, making this country the world’s second largest banana producer after India.

Recent studies have found that the expansion of small-scale banana production in certain countries like Rwanda -where bananas meet 80 percent of human nutritional needs in some areas -has helped shield Africans from the shock of soaring food prices.

New research results to be presented at the conference provide valuable insights into what farmers can do to immediately improve their earnings in local and regional markets.

For example, a new study from a project in Kenya operated by the NGO TechnoServe shows that when small-scale banana farmers organised themselves into grower groups, adopted product standards, obtained capital for purchasing farm inputs and marketed their bananas directly to wholesalers, their incomes doubled and, in some cases, even tripled.

Another investigation found that a lack of capital, inadequate transportation, unfair taxes and inconsistent prices significantly limit the ability of small-scale farmers to benefit from growing cross-border banana trade between Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Scientists and growers participating in the Mombasa conference are also discussing technical innovations and scientific advances in biotechnology, together with organic farming techniques, which will help small-scale growers overcome current and emerging threats to production, such as plant diseases, poor soils, and climate change.

Among the most serious threats to Africa’s banana production are banana Xanthomonas wilt and black Sigatoka disease, each of which can cause yield losses of 30 to 50 percent.

Scientists at IITA and Bioversity International are working with a global network of plant breeders to develop new banana varieties for African farmers that can offer both disease resistance and higher yields, while matching local standards for taste and quality.

Researchers have also worked with farmers to develop relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly management practices for protecting plants from disease infection.

These practices have significantly blunted the impact of banana Xanthomonas wilt in Uganda and could be extended to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya, where the disease is now spreading.

Abele said the goal of the conference is to create a comprehensive 10-year research and development plan that focuses not just on export markets but on identifying and pursuing myriad opportunities for Africa’s banana growers to gain both higher incomes and greater food security from their crop.

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