Tooro Kingdom, govt sign pact on banana research

Farmers in Tooro Kingdom will start selling bananas to the Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre (BIRDC) in Bushenyi District to boost production of processed matooke for local and international markets.

The revelation was made on Wednesday as Tooro Kingdom officials led by King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru visited BIRDC, originally known as the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID), in Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality.

The kingdom deputy minister for agriculture, Mr David Sabiiti, said they have already established Kabarore Tooke Cooperative Society through which banana farmers will market the produce.

“All banana farmers will be dealing with PIBID; we are going to establish banana collection centres from where they will be transported to this factory. Our area has a lot of matooke; we compete favourably with greater Bushenyi,” Mr Sabiiti said.

King Oyo expressed interest and support to the collaboration that will see a similar factory built in Tooro.

Mr Martin Jingo, the training manager BIRDC, said they are already working with other 10 farmer cooperatives in Greater Bushenyi that are supplying matooke to the factory.

“One of the challenges we had was individual approach for production and marketing of farmers’ bananas. We had to start the cooperative initiative; we now have 10 cooperatives,” Mr Jingo said.

He added: “We are establishing a long-term industry, so the sustainability is dependent upon developing viable cooperatives and the benefits are enormous; bulk marketing, bulk acquisition of raw materials, bulk acquisition of inputs, better information flow and capacity building is easy when we are working together.”

PIBID was established in 2005. The factory makes products named ‘Tooke’ from which they make cakes, biscuits, bread and pizzas, among others.

Helping farmers
The Rev Prof Florence Muranga, the executive director PIBID, said the project’s underlying theory is that rural farmers with access to science-led processing and value addition enterprises will be able to access local, regional and international markets, resulting in increased household income.

BIRDC has now been incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. Prof Muranga said their goal is to be a scientific research driven agro-industrial banana sector transforming rural communities. It will have operation centres in Greater Bushenyi, Rwenzori Sub-region, Kigezi Sub-region, Ankole Sub region, Masaka and Rakai districts. She added that they are in the process of obtaining ISO certification.

“We have big international market, that’s why government found it prudent to invest further in the development of this industry,” she said.

The government, Prof Muranga said, has helped in setting up state-of-the art centre for research and development to boost banana growing.

“Those starting new banana processing centres don’t have to build laboratories; this laboratory will work for whoever will want information. We work across the banana chain from production, to soils, to properties of the plant,” she said.