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As one of the major staple foods in Uganda, the banana industry is
important for providing . fi)od and income to producers and other value
chain actors. However, the sector is vastly underdeveloped, hence limiting
its contribution to the economic wellbeing of actors. This paper assesses
opportunities for upgrading the banana value chain as a basis for
identifYing the potential entry points for developing the banana sub-sector
in Uganda. A cross-sectional research design was adopted where
interviews with 240 value chain actors and focus group discussion were
conducted. Additional information was collected from a desk review of
relevant literature. The value chain analysis approach vi'as adopted for
data analysis as a basis for identifying Opportunities for improvement and
upgrading options. Results' Allowed that banana farmers apply inputs at the
farm level and they are involved in value addition post harvest, but on a
very low scale. On average 27% of the bananas produced by smallholder
jiirmers were set aside.* value addition. The most common forms of value
addition adopted by furriers and traders included ripening and roasting the
bananas, brewing local alcohol (tont() and waragi), making crafts and
juice. The study observed an increasing number of firms that are involved
in modernized value addition techniques. However there was a poor link
between value chain actors, especial/v banana producers. input suppliers
and providers of financial services. The study identified numerous
opportunities for product. process', functional, channel and inter-sectoral
upgrading in the banana value chain as well as value chain governance as
important entry points towards boosting the general performance of the
banana value chain. |
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