Banana farmers at loss
Tuesday, 07 Aug 2012
A fungal disease has reduced the quality and quantity of banana yields in Kisii, opening a business opportunity for Ugandan growers.
Traders in Kisumu are buying bananas from Ugandan traders since supplies from Kisii are uncertain.
Ms Stella Moraa, a banana grocer at Kisumu Municipal market, is one of the traders who have turned to the Ugandan supplies.
"We have recorded losses because of poor supply of bananas which are hard hit by fungal disease that make the inside of the fruit hard and tasteless" she said.
Mr Hussein Chidesa, a Ugandan farmer who supplies the commodity to Kibuye and Kisumu municipal markets, said that demand for their bananas was high.
A study published by the Plant Disease journal, states that banana xanthomonas wilt is putting the incomes of banana farmers in East Africa at risk.
The disease retards the growth of bananas and it causes the death of the mother plant.
Kisii is the leading producer of bananas in the country. Besides being a source of income, banana is the staple food of some communities.
