Farmer Earns Ugx 6M from Banana Suckers in Northern Uganda
A farmer in Nwoya District has earned over six million Ugandan shillings from selling banana suckers since March this year.
Alfred Komakech is one of the farmer representatives the banana research program has been working with in the intervention in Northern Uganda.
The Banana Research Program under the Feed the Future Activity (FtF) has been strengthening seed systems for commercial production and delivery of quality banana planting materials in the Lango and Acholi region.
Farmer plantation in Northern Uganda.
Several engagements with farmers have been made including demonstration on banana agronomic practices, introduction of elite banana hybrid cultivars and banana seed promotion events and building capacity of community-based seed entrepreneurs (CSEs) in Lango and Acholi sub-regions.
Following these engagements, farmers have registered great achievements in terms of yield and seed sales. Komakech has sold over 3000 suckers since March worth Ugx 6million. These suckers are mainly for the improved banana varieties including NAROBan 5 (M30), FHIA17 and NAROBan 4 (M27).
Farmers being trained in seed multiplication.
In Lira, the leading seed supplier has sold over 1300 sackers since May worth 2.6millions. The average price of suckers in Lira Ugx2000. In Paicho, Gulu District, the price of suckers’ ranges from Ugx1000 – Ugx2000. The leading supplier has sold over 1600 sackers since May worth Ugs1.9millions.
Since the intervention in Northern Uganda in 2020, NARO has established banana demonstration gardens across parishes in the region, to act as learning sites to surrounding farmers for better banana management in a bid to increase productivity on farm. About 100 demonstration sites were established in 2020 on farmers’ fields in Amach (Lira), Myene (Oyam), Paicho (Gulu) and Alero (Nwoya) sub counties.
Mr. Wilson Okurut (on left) training farmers in Nwoya on seed multiplication.
This was a result of identified available banana market and market gaps to be exploited in the region. Banana consumption in Acholi and Lango is estimated to be worth Ush25.99billion per year. Most of this is outsourced from other regions and thus presenting a market potential for banana production within the region.
