Uganda gets first agribusiness banana value chain incubator
The commissioner rural economy and agriculture at the AU, Ms Rhoda Tumusiime (R) and other guests at the inauguration of the banana agribusiness incubator in Mbarara last Friday. PHOTO BY RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
Mbarara. The first ever agribusiness banana value chain incubator in Africa has been opened in Uganda at Biharwe in Mbarara Municipality.
Opened last Friday, the facility will help banana farmers, businessmen and students to improve incomes, innovations and research.
The incubator is run by Afri Banana Products Ltd and is part of Agri-business Incubation Programme under Universities, Business and Research in Agriculture (UniBRAIN) of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).
Prof George Bazirake Byamugisha of Afri Banana Products Ltd said in 2011, they competed among 51 institutions at the African Union level as an agribusiness innovation incubator in banana sector and emerged the best, winning a grant of $2million from Danida under FARA –UniBRAIN initiative.
“The incubator will act as a common house/centre for banana value chain with training, research and production units,” Prof Byamugisha said.
Officiating at the inauguration of the facility, the AU commissioner for rural economy and agriculture, Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, commended FARA for taking research to reality by putting in place UniBRAIN that incubates agricultural value chains that will not only create jobs and wealth but also stimulate agricultural production.
Background
Afri Banana Products Ltd is a consortium of institutions that include Kyambogo University as the lead institution, Uganda Industrial Research Institute for agribusiness, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology.
