Banana production transforming lives

Banana production increased from 38 000 tonnes in 1971 to 196 853 tonnes in 2020 growing at an average annual rate of 4 percent
Enacy Mapakame

For years, banana production has transformed lives — from communal to commercial production in Honde Valley, in Manicaland province — thanks to help from several development partners who stepped in with sustainable farming methods that improve yields.

Prior practicing sustainable farming methods, banana production was a low income enterprise with farmers earning less than US$200 per year due to a lack of formal markets and very low harvest yields.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Honde Valley is now home to over 5 000 commercial banana farmers, applying sustainable farming methods that have been beneficial in increasing quality of the fruit.

Where monthly yields used to be only 30 to 50 kilogrammes of bananas, individuals are now able to produce over 1 000 kilogrammes per month.

The region has gone from producing 2 000 tonnes in 2011 to more than 27 000 tones presently, contributing more than US$7,5 million to the rural economy each year.

Agritex said 45 percent of bananas in Honde Valley go through the formal market channels, while 55 percent go through the informal market channels.

However, small-scale banana producers in Samanga in Honde Valley say lack of formal markets is still one of their biggest challenges as they end up selling fruit for a song.

Currently the farmers in Samanga have one commercial buyer who determines the price without consultation with the producers.

A kilogramme is currently pegged at US$0,20 cents which the farmers said was unsustainable.
At peak period, bananas were sold at US$0,42 cents per kg as several other buyers competed for the fruit.

“At some point we had more buyers coming in and because of that competition the price was much better than what we are getting now,” said Leonard Nengomasha.

He added the price did not tally with the cost of production, which he described as steep. Resultantly, profitability remained under pressure.

“If we consider the cost of fertiliser and labour, then the price is too low and profit margins too small.

“So far we are still at the stage of hand to mouth due to the cost of inputs, we have no option right now, our product is highly perishable” said Paul Muzhanje.

On average each farmer has an estimated 1 000 plants.

George Duri, who has been into banana production since 2011 concurred the price was not satisfactory.

“Prices are a major thorn in our flesh, last time buyer was taking our fruit at US$0,22 cents a kilogramme, but just reduced it without consultation saying bananas have flooded the market, they don’t consider the cost we incur,” he said.

A 50kg bag of fertiliser for bananas cost around US$70. The banana plants require at least 80g of fertilisers every month except for winter season.

Due to poor road network from the field to the selling point, some farmers hire personnel who to carry bananas on their heads to the main road. These charge around US$4 per 1 000 bananas.

A tonne has an average of 7 000 bananas which translates to US$28 for “transport” cost out of the average US$200 a farmer gets per tonne in a month.

In 2020, bananas production for Zimbabwe was 196 853 tonnes. Production increased from 38 000 tonnes in 1971 to 196 853 tonnes in 2020 growing at an average annual rate of 4 percent.

The Samanga farmers appealed for more formal markets to open up for their fruits. They have remained upbeat of expanding their markets to reach exports. Already, the national trade promotion body has carried out programmes with Honde Valley farmers on export preparedness.

“ZimTrade once came here to assess our export potential, at that point our production capacity was still low, but we have grown ever since that time,” said Nengomasha.

Horticulture exporters in Zimbabwe are facing capacity challenges in accessing the EU market thus limiting their ability to realise full export growth opportunities.

To address this challenge, ZimTrade is developing export clusters across the country where the target is to integrate smallholder farmers into export business.

By doing this, the country will increase the number of producers, which in turn will boost-linked production.

In the previous years, other horticulture farmers have not been able to fully participate in exports due to market access requirements (SPSs and TBTs) being imposed by the EU.

This has resulted in some farmers giving up on exports, closing, and others downsizing.

“To address this, ZimTrade is increasing engagements between Zimbabwean farmers and buyers in Europe and United Kingdom, where focus is on market requirements,” said ZimTrade.-ebusinessweekly