Coffee and tea must no longer enjoy unfair privilege

Bananas are one of the world’s most important food crops. 

India, the largest producer, harvests more than 30 million metric tons, followed by Uganda, which produces almost 10 million metric tons. 

Kenya does not rank in the top 10, but nevertheless appears to be overwhelmed by bananas.

Banana, the world’s most traded fruit, is the fifth most traded agricultural product, with an estimated export value of close to $10 billion and a retail value of about $30 billion. 

Although a significant portion of the export revenues for many Latin American and Caribbean countries comes from bananas, only a few make up to the top 10 exporters of bananas. 

Many countries that do not even grow the crop are major re-exporters. Among the list of countries within the link above, the fastest-growing banana exporters since 2011 were Cameroon (up 255.7 per cent), Mexico (up 142.6 per cent), Netherlands (up 121 per cent) and Côte d’Ivoire (up 114.2 per cent). 

Uganda, among the leading producers of bananas, does not feature anywhere in export terms. Much of the banana production is either consumed or goes to waste.

In the past week I have been to Nyeri and Kisii, and it is obvious that once again we have a banana crisis. Traders are using risky, aggressive selling tactics on highways to make a sale before the produce goes to waste. 

These habits are now common in Nairobi’s streets. They are primitive and wasteful ways of trade and we can do better.

When Prof Esther Murugi Kahangi developed the tissue culture banana at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, the problem then was how to improve yield, develop disease resistance and fast-track maturity. 

These challenges were overcome but, as usual, no one thought about the market. From Meru to Kisii to Trans Nzoia, we are bananas. This is a good problem that requires a mindset change.

We need to consider crops like bananas as valuable as traditional cash crops like tea and coffee. 

If we did, we would develop the complete supply chain of bananas including mechanisms for delaying consumption. We must urgently package bananas just like any cash crop, reduce post-harvest losses and improve incomes to farmers. 

We can't talk about poverty reduction if we don't share knowledge that would improve the status of poor farmers.

As I have said several times in this column, problems are the sources of opportunities. In bananas we have endless opportunities to disrupt our usual replication of enterprises that end up in failure. 

On my way out of Nyeri and Kisii counties, I felt obliged to buy a few bananas and decided to transfer the problem of overripe bananas to myself. 

When I got home, I checked YouTube for ideas, and indeed there were multiple solutions to deal with overripe bananas. Using YouTube recipes, I converted the entire lot of bananas into ice cream, banana cookies and banana smoothies. 

I managed to delay consumption long enough to find one other critical aspect of developing a supply chain — market for my product. I packaged the cookies and had my students taste a new banana product, which they liked. 

I also discovered a natural homemade banana face moisturiser mask recipe for flawless skin. There are many other pharmaceutical applications of banana. 

Bananas could be repackaged into several products that would effectively reduce post-harvest losses and ultimately deal with poverty. 

A report presented to the Meru County Assembly shows that the county earns close to Sh4 billion annually from banana sales, four times what they earn from coffee. However, coffee is prioritised in funding and marketing. Virtually nothing has been done to support innovations around banana. 

A young lawyer, Eric Muthomi, developed a new product out of banana but there is no effort to provide support in market development as a strategy to increase consumption that would in turn result in greater production.

In Kisii, a new factory set up by the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (Kirdi) is helping increase demand for bananas through value-added services like making wine, cakes, crisps and flour. 

There is great promise in such facilities that can be used as maker spaces for emerging entrepreneurs. However, ideas must move from pilot to full production coupled with a rigorous marketing programme. 

It is not far-fetched to follow the footsteps of Java by creating new smoothie bars and perhaps create a national banana smoothie day.

Just like tea, the government must create an agency to aggregate small-holder farm produce and market it as one product. Most subsistence farmers tend to do it on their own but this is always expensive. Besides, it confines the farmers into perpetual poverty. 

Product aggregations and marketing of large quantity produce would bring more revenue to farmers. 

We must bring as much enthusiasm to bananas as we have to tea. Since some markets are constantly changing, the government should provide much needed support in banana production and marketing.

Most banana products should be developed by the private sector. There should be a deliberate attempt to assist especially youth and women through the youth and women enterprise funds to exploit the opportunities presented by unique products as bananas. 

The export market, too, is unexploited and capacity building to enable emerging entrepreneurs to exploit these markets is needed.

The discovery of tissue culture bananas led to overproduction when the country was not ready to absorb all the produce. 

This is a good problem that we must apply innovative interventions to. Bananas are as good as any other crop that the country pays attention to.

Carly Fiorina, formerly chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard and more recently a presidential candidate in the US, once said, “This world is clearly emerging before our eyes. The shifts ahead, the opportunities ahead are massive.” 

Let us exploit the opportunities that lie in bananas, repackage the produce and create wealth for the people.   

The writer is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi’s School of Business. Twitter: @bantigito