Banana faces uncertain future, study shows
Malawi’s once-thriving banana crop, which was recently ravaged by banana bunchy top virus, faces an uncertain future, a study conducted by Mwapata Institute shows.
In the study, the agriculture think-tank observes that banana production levels remain low, mostly affected by the virus that hit the country in 1997.
According to the study, despite production volumes rebounding to 200 000 metric tonnes (MT) last year, they are still below the 500 000MT the country was producing before the virus.
Beyond the virus, Malawi’s banana value chain is plagued by other challenges, according to the study.
Reads the study in part: “The value chain is characterised by high levels of waste, poor fruit quality and persistent issues with disease management, which in turn impacts farm-gate prices received by farmers.”
However, local agriculture and policy experts believe the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders can restore the banana crop and ensure that output increases to above 500 000MT.
“Bananas have always been more than just a crop in Malawi. They are a lifeline for thousands of smallholder farmers,” said Chistopher Mbukwa, a Mzuzu University agriculture economist.
He said there is a lot OF demand for bananas in the country’s supermarkets, adding that if the country can boost production, it can meet the demand and replace imports from Tanzania, which were recorded at 18 000MT last year.
Mbukwa urged the government to take advantage of initiatives such as the Agricultural Commercialisation Project and the mega farms to drive investment in the banana value chain to plug the financing gaps that have held back the sector.
On his part, agriculture development policy expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula called for increased coordination between the private sector, local producers and policymakers to create policies that support effective production practices and sustainable markets for bananas.
He said: “We need policies that can support the use of disease-resistant banana seed, including genetically modified ones.
“Aside from that, we need to promote value addition so that local farmers can transition from selling at the roadsides to formal supermarkets.”
To turn the tide, Mwapata Institute says there is need to reform the seed system to ensure the availability of disease-free planting materials, promoting irrigation development to boost productivity and leveraging public private partnerships to establish processing facilities.
Yield for Malawi subsistence and smallholder farmers ranges from 11 to 19 tonnes per hectare against a potential yield of 50 tonnes per hectare, according to Mwapata Institute.
