Banana is the main staple food and cash crop for more than 25 million smallholder farmers, with an annual production worth US$ 1.5 billion, based on the five-year average price for banana of Shs 700 per kilogram (FEWS, 2021) and the average annual production of 7.6 million tonnes (UBOS 2018 - 2021). This is a significant contribution to Uganda’s agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 8.9 Billion (World Bank 2020). Then, U$ 3.5 million of banana was exported (UBOS 2021), yet the banana crop has great unexploited industrial potential to develop high value products for both the domestic and export markets.
Below are some of the reasons to consider banana farming:
- Banana is a food crop and thus ensures food security in a home.
- Banana farming ensures constant income flow to an individual or farmer because of its perennial nature.
- Banana production in Uganda contributes significantly to the national income in terms of export earnings. USD$ 3.5 million of banana were exported according to UBOS (2021) and yet, the banana crop still has great unexploited industrial potential to develop high value products for both the domestic and export markets.
- Banana farming provides employment to many Ugandans.
- Banana farming cab be done on both small and large scale production favouring all categories of households.
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