KENYA-TISSUE CULTURE BANANAS Growers in Kenya's maize belt take up farming of improved banana varieties

Record ID: 143779

  • Title: KENYA-TISSUE CULTURE BANANAS Growers in Kenya's maize belt take up farming of improved banana varieties
  • Date: 17th August 2015
  • Summary: KITALE, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF REUBEN WABUKE, FARMER, WORKING IN THE BANANA NURSERY WABUKE INSPECTING BANANA SEEDLINGS VARIOUS OF SEEDLINGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUBEN WABUKE, FARMER, SAYING: "The first lot which we received was 2,500 from the county government and then everything was sold, and we are seeing that this project which we have to continue because
  • Embargoed: 1st September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABUILU61ZRKML8MVL0L860UK9D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Reuben Wabuke is inspecting banana seedlings at his nursery in Kitale, western Kenya. In the past Wabuke used to grow maize on his 10 acre plot of land but he has now set aside part of it for tissue culture bananas - an improved and more disease resistant variety.
    Wabuke says the improved seedlings fetch attractive returns. He is one of thousands of farmers living in Trans Nzoia County - Kenya's maize belt who are being pushed to take up planting fruits and vegetables to reduce reliance on staples like maize.
    Wabuke sells his seedlings for about 1.50 US dollars each.
    "The first lot which we received was 2,500 from the county government and then everything was sold, and we are seeing that this project which we have to continue because as I have always thought -- and always we have been educated by the government officers we need to now do what is called diversification in our farming practices in Trans Nzoia because maize has actually put us nowhere," said Wabuke.
    The fertile region is known for its maize harvests but unpredictable weather, inefficient markets and poor infrastructure, has seen many farmers count losses in recent years.
    Scientists at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, JKUAT are working with the farmers to provide them with improved banana varieties, which mature faster than conventional ones.
    Tissue culture bananas give more yields and are more resistant to disease.
    "How we do the tissue culture is that we go to the farmers, may be a farmer has this unique plant, or this variety which they see is producing very well it has very unique qualities, we get the sucker from them we just come and do the surface sterilization to remove the contaminants that is the bacteria and the fungi then we do the process of multiplication and the cleaning," said Doctor Grace Wacheke Mungai, a researcher at the university.
    Experts say efforts like this banana project -- which combine improved seeds and crop varieties, better access to markets and information for small-scale farmers, could be part of the blueprint for a 21st century agrarian revolution in Africa.
    After decades of neglect, African governments seem to be taking notice of the importance of investing in agriculture, at least for food security.
    The Trans Nzoia County government says that a recent survey of farmers in the area indicated that many were not making good returns from maize due to high production costs and that there was need to create more economic opportunities.
    "There are many other crops which Trans Nzoia can produce about 15 of them which include coffee, bananas avocados chillies and horticultural crops and so on. And we therefore embarked on a programme of picking a few of these crops and introducing them as we go along. In 2014, we introduced tissue culture banana we thought that this crop is easy to take care of and especially with the tissue culture banana which comes along without any pathogens of diseases and production you start … you harvesting within 12 months and after that the harvest is a bit continuous," said Patrick Khaemba, the Trans Nzoia County governor.
    Another farmer, Maurice Wanyonyi has also decided to take up tissue culture banana farming. He grows the crop on his 1.5 acre farm.
    Wanyonyi and his wife Alice are attending a training session today on how to prune bananas and prevent diseases.
    The farmer says the crop seems promising so far.
    "The money I make seen from every plant -- I harvest from each plant 3 times a year. Each bunch goes for six dollars, which gives me about 17 dollars. If I sell at 5 dollars a bunch, I get about 8,640 dollars per year. But with maize, I used to make about 300 dollars per year. So bananas give me more money, I make about 720 dollars a month," he said.
    The county government is also encouraging farmers to produce fruits for export in future and increase their incomes in the process.
    Many Farmers still need information about improved seeds and training in better crop management which prevents them from maximizing their yields.
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