Uganda needs to cover a deficit of 60 metric tonnes to reach profitable levels of banana production, Nature News has learnt.
During Saturday’s Seeds of Gold Farm Clinic held at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL) Kawanda, researchers noted that poor agronomic practices and little value-addition are harming the crop.
Dr Asher Wilson Okurut, an agronomist, said many farmers expect to reap by copying and pasting traditional farming practices from their ancestors.
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“We must embrace new trends in order to grow bananas profitably,” Dr Okurut said. He said the winning formula lies within the combination of good agronomic practices that involve plant and soil health, proper selection of seeds, prevention of pests and diseases, as well as proper maintenance of the plantation.
The researchers have recently released NaroBan 5 (M30) to add to the existing varieties. Dr Okurut said NaroBan 5 is resistant to weevils, nematodes, and black Sigatoka. “Earlier, varieties NaroBan 1-4 have similar attributes and they could spur commercial production of bananas,” he said.
