The latest study has recommended sound investment in seed systems, disease control, irrigation and market linkages to unlock the commercialisation of Malawi’s banana value chain.
Conducted by agricultural research think-tank Mwapata Institute, the study comes at a time when Malawi is yet to fully recover from the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), which decimated banana plantations in 2016.
Published in a policy brief titled Banana Commercialisation and Investment Options for Malawi, the paper says the country still imports a significant share of its annual banana consumption, highlighting that the sector has not yet fully recovered.
However, according to the study, the banana value chain presents strong opportunities as the fruit is widely marketed, produced year-round and able to keep value-chain actors continuously engaged.
The study says: “However, Malawi remains a net importer, importing around 15 percent of domestic banana consumption from Tanzania and Mozambique.
“This heavy reliance on imports, alongside limited exports, underscores both the untapped potential for scaling local production and Malawi’s lack of export competitiveness.”
According to the study, unlocking this potential requires addressing weak seed systems, incidences of pests and diseases, low productivity resulting from poor management practices, and limited investment in irrigation.
“Government should formalise the banana seed systems by instituting a local protocol for banana seed propagation. Government should improve in-field management of the BBTV disease.
“Government and development partners should improve access to irrigation facilities and services by supporting small-and-medium-scale banana farmers in accessing affordable and sustainable irrigation solutions,” the study says.
This is happening at a time when Malawi is yet to return to normal banana production levels, nearly a decade after the country’s fourth-largest staple crop after maize, rice and cassava was devastated by the virus.
The virus, which led to yield losses of between 70 percent and 90 percent in the first season, affected the livelihoods of about 200,000 farmers, particularly in Thyolo and Mulanje, as output declined by about 300 metric tonnes (MT).
Banana Growers Association of Malawi president Lemet Mthuzi Makombe, while acknowledging efforts to revive production, said the disease had left Malawi with a banana deficit, as farmers still lack knowledge about the best varieties, forcing consumers to turn to neighbouring countries.
He said: “Banana bunchy top virus is still affecting banana farmers, especially those who do not have knowledge about the disease.
“We are reducing this challenge through the provision of new banana varieties that are resistant to the virus. We are also providing training.”
Earlier, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Centre for Agricultural Research and Development director Innocent Pangapanga Phiri said the negative productivity shock induced by the virus had triggered a series of interrelated challenges, including income losses, reduced domestic supply, rising banana prices and declining consumption, all of which were affecting the sector’s full-scale recovery.
According to Mwapata Institute data, Malawi’s annual banana consumption currently stands at about 220 000 MT, with approximately 19 000 MT imported from neighbouring countries such as Tanzania and Mozambique.
The Africa Banana Bunchy Top Disease Alliance says up to 16 countries in Africa have been affected by the virus, which renders banana plants unproductive.
