Bananas are income generation of more than 70 million Africans.
Bananas are the world’s fourth most important food crop and are of critical importance to the food security and income generation of more than 70 million Africans.
Most farms in Africa supply local consumption. Cooking bananas represent a major food source and a major income source for small hold farmers. In east Africa, highland bananas are of greatest importance as a staple food crop. In countries such as Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda per capita consumption has been estimated at 45 kilograms (99 lb) per year, the highest in the world. Uganda itself is the second-largest producer of bananas in the world after India. It is, however, one of the smallest exporters, the crops being used mostly for domestic consumption. West African countries produce nearly all Africa’s banana exports. Production in this region has grown rapidly over the past 15 years, now accounting for around 4% of the world banana trade. The vast majority of these bananas are sold in Europe, mainly in France and the UK. In the 1990s, banana and pineapple production in Africa came to be dominated by two multinational companies (Dole/Compagnie Fruitière and Del Monte).
There are various types of banana unique to Africa, and these can be eaten fresh, cooked, fried and processed to be served as baby food, juice and beer. East African Highland bananas (EAHB) are triploid banana cultivars originating from the African Great Lakes region. They are used to make matoke – commonly referred to as cooking bananas. The fruit is harvested green and then cooked and often mashed or pounded into a meal. In Uganda and Rwanda, the fruit is steam-cooked, and the mashed meal is considered a national dish in both countries. East African Highland bananas are also known as the Mutika/Lujugira subgroup. Many Kenyan and Ugandan families own less than acre of land, but fully use it growing bananas. This has transformed their socio-economic lives. The East African Highland Bananas is a major source of income for most farmers who engage in it generating up to 1500 USD per hectare per year from fresh banana sales. Farmers have preferences for cultivars that fetch more money on sale. It’s therefore likely to find more members belonging to one cloneset compared to the others. Cultivars with easy to peel character, are soft and produce deep yellow matoke, huge bunches and lax fingers sell easily and highly.
In the lowland of the Congo basin, farmers grow a greater diversity of bananas than anywhere in the world. Moreover, these perennial plants are the backbone of many farming systems as they produce fruits the year round, protect the soil from erosion, and survive floods, drought and civil conflict. Sweet dessert bananas are grown everywhere and are consumed as a snack, but they form a smaller portion of the total African crop. The Cavendish banana, which dominates export markets worldwide, is now being planted in increasing quantities on large commercial farms in western, eastern and southern Africa.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.sun.ac.za
http://www.bananalink.org.uk
http://eastafricanhighlandbananas.org/
photo: http://stuffoflifeblog.com/
