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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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?
