Banana is one of the staple food crops grown in Kenya for both home consumption and for markets being that it is among the very profitable farming activities. Bananas are widely grown in most parts of Kenya for cooking and dessert. A few Kenyan farmers who know about tissue culture bananas grow the dual-purpose banana varieties that can be used both for dessert and cooking. The popularity of the crop makes it a good cash crop for the Kenyan smallholder farmers, who can sell the produce even at their farm gate.
Banana Farming in Kenya

Nutritional Benefits of Bananas
The ripe fruit of banana is a good source of vitamins A, B6, C and Potassium. Cooked bananas are rich in carbohydrates. Recently processing of bananas has gained momentum here and bananas are being processed into flour, canned slices, jam, jelly, puree, vinegar, wine and beer. Demand for these processed products is expected to go up in the coming years, making the market even larger for banana growers in Kenya.
To do successful and very profitable commercial banana farming in Kenya, what are the factors that you should consider?

Optimal Ecological Requirements for Banana Farming in Kenya

Banana grows in the tropics; that is the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. Our entire country Kenya lies squarely in this region and being that banana farming is favored by a wide range of agro-climatic conditions, you can grow them almost anywhere in this country.

The crop grows well in hot and humid conditions of altitude between 0-1800 m above the sea level: that’s all the way from as low as Mombasa to as high as Kisii with the exception of the very cold highlands. With a rainfall range of 1000-2000 mm per year or sufficient water for irrigation, you are good to go.

Also read Top 5 high yielding banana varieties in Kenya

Banana farming under irrigation

Optimal temperature of 270 C is preferred for banana growing. However it still does well in temperature range of 20- 300C. Deep well drained soils rich in organic matter are required for the growing of bananas with a pH of between 6.0 and 7.5.

Spacing

Spacing is important in banana growing so as to ensure adequate accessibility of the required resources by the plant. The planting whole should be big, measuring about 60 by 60 by 60cm and spaced 3m by 3m.

Establishment

To Plant Bananas

Make a hole measuring 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet (although this may vary with the variety)
Separate the topsoil from the subsoil.
With the topsoil, put 1 debe of well cured farm yard manure and a handful of planting fertilizers like DAP/TSP fertilizer. This accelerates the growth of pseudo stems.
Add two matchboxes of Menetode or Nemacur nematicide to stop nematode.
Mix the topsoil with manure, nematicide and fertilizers well.
Fill back the hole with the above mixture then followed by the sub-soil.
Choose a 30cm tall seedling and plant in the center of the hole.
Mulch the seedling with dry grass
Water every week

Pruning and Stalking

• This helps you to get bigger and higher quality bunches as well as managing sucker growth.

• Dead leaves should be removed at least twice a year.

• After harvesting, the pseudo-stem should be cut off from the plant at ground level.

• Staking of the fruit bearing pseudo-stem should be done to prevent breakage caused by heavy bunches.

• Stake with wood by digging a hole 40-60 cm deep at the base of the stem to install the prop.

• Tie the bunch to the prop near the portion where the fruit stalk emerges from the stem using Y-sticks.

Banana Farming in Kenya

Banana Varieties in Kenya

Banana varieties which are predominantly grown in Kenya include; Uganda green, ngombe, Gradi Shiskame and Mutahato for cooking varieties while dessert varieties include; Apple Banana, Bokoboko, giant Cavendish, Chinese Cavendish, Gros Michel and Muraru. FHIA 17 is a dual purpose variety and is mostly produced through tissue culture. Banana farmers select their preferred varieties based on tastes, eating habits, market demand and environmental conditions.

Banana Propagation

Bananas are propagated vegetatively by use of cutting, suckers and tissue culture. The main method of banana propagation by most smallholder farmers is by division of suckers which arise from the base of the main stem, or from the underground corm. This method of banana propagation is used by most farmers as it is cheap and favorable cultivars of bananas are maintained. Additionally, use of suckers for propagation is easy and does not necessarily require skilled labor. However, there are many disadvantages associated with the use of suckers as a method of propagation.

The main disadvantages with the use of suckers are that suckers perpetuate the spread of banana diseases and pests, variation in age and size of sucker, hence the crop is not uniform which leads to difficulty in managing the crop and harvesting.

Tissue Culture Banana in Kenya

Tissue culture also referred to as micro-propagation is the science of multiplying clean disease-free planting materials of different crops to have many identical copies of the same variety without altering the taste and other physical attribute of the plant. Tissue culture work is mainly done in the laboratories and then the plants are raised in the nursery beds where farmers can access for planting.

Advantages associated with the use of Tissue culture

1. Elimination of the risk of pests and diseases

2. Tissue culture is the most rapid method of propagating bananas and increased yields of the bananas.

3. Use of tissue culture ensures a timely large turnover of clean planting materials within a limited space.

4. Tissue cultured banana plants produce uniform maturity of the fruits which make harvesting process easy and reduce labor cost.

Disadvantages of Tissue Culture

It’s an expensive method of propagation as it involves laboratory experiments.

Reduction in the genetic diversity of the banana due to the fact that all plants are genetically similar.

Tissue culture technique is still new to many smallholder farmers in Kenya as it requires skilled personnel to carry out.

Also read Top 5 High Yielding Banana Varieties in Kenya

Where to get seedlings

However, you do not have to worry about the expenses of setting up tissue culture labs and the technicalities associated with it. That has been done for you by Richfarm Kenya and all you need to do is order the variety you need and you get ready tissue culture banana seedlings for planting.

From the above foregoing it is worth noting that tissue culture is the best method of banana propagation in Kenya and efforts need to be put on high gear to ensure banana farming in Kenya is enhanced by embracing Tissue Culture as a means of ensuring food security as far as banana production is concerned.

Smallholder farmers who contribute to the largest share of the banana farming in Kenya community need to come up together and collectively pull resources to be able to benefit from the profits associated with tissue culture banana propagation, as it is the most viable method to ensure that maximum profitability.

Common Pests and Diseases

• Weevils: Eat the stems so the trees fall. Dig up and burn infected trees so weevils do not move to other trees.

• Nematodes: Attack the roots. To stop nematodes, use a Nematicide powder-like Meticode or Nemacur at planting, remove infected stems and do not intercrop bananas with maize, cowpeas or sorghum.

• Black Sigatoka disease: Leaves turn yellow making the banana trees to give small bunches. Use resistant varieties and take off infected leaves.

Banana Farming in Kenya

Maturity

Bananas are ready for harvesting after about 12-15 months. However, maturity indices may vary widely among varieties. Yield of up to 14 ton per acre per year is possible under good management.

Market

It is a very profitable venture and some of the possible destinations include schools, hotels and nearby market.

Kindly visit consumers around your and enter into contracts with them.

Tip: Rotate your banana field after 8 years, and for a poorly-managed field, rotate after 5 years.

Cost per seedling- plantain 500, tissue culture 200.
Seedlings per acre- 450 trees
Spacing- 3m by 3m
Fruit price- depends with the variety
Yield- 14 tons per year
Common pests- weevils and nematodes
Common diseases- Xanthomonas wilt, fusarium wilt, black Sigatoka.
Lifespan- six years approximately depending on variety.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Can one farm bananas for commercial reasons?
What are health benefits associated with banana consumption?
What are the factors to consider for successful banana farming in Kenya?
How do we establish or plant bananas?
What banana varieties are suitable for farming in Kenya?
How do I do banana propagation?
What is Tissue Culture in banana farming in Kenya?
What are the advantages of Tissue Culture in banana farming in Kenya?
Where do I get seedlings for establishment in banana farming in Kenya?
What are the common pests and diseases affecting banana farming in Kenya?
How many banana trees can I plant in an acre?
Is banana farming very profitable?
What is the maturity and yield of banana trees?
What is the market price of bananas in Kenya?

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BANANA FARMING IN KENYA FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION