Opportunities for upgrading the banana value chain in Uganda

Journal of continuing Education and Extension, 2015; 6 (1): 826-843As 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