Kaziimba urges youth farmers to join banana initiative

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Youth farmers involved in the banana-growing business have been advised to join the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) to reduce unemployment.

Church of Uganda archbishop, Dr Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, says there are over 5,000 jobs created in PIBID where youth can earn a living instead of going abroad to work under slavery-like conditions.

"Many of our youth who have gone to Arabic countries to work, have seriously been harassed and by the time they come back to Uganda, they are helpless. Others who are unfortunate have been beaten to death. I am, therefore, appealing to the youth to join the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development by growing more bananas and adding value to it," he says.

"From banana flour, products like bread, cakes, Ugali, chapati, biscuits and instant matooke porridge can be made and will earn them more money and the country foreign exchange when exported," Kaziimba adds.  

The archbishop made the remarks while officiating at PIBID's 20th anniversary celebrations at their offices in Kololo, Kampala on January 4, 2025.

He lauded the Government for funding the initiative saying it has contributed to job creation.

According to the initiative's website, its products are under the ‘Tooke’ brand as part of PIBID, which was established in 2005 as a pilot project to develop and commercialise banana flour. The flour, which has been tested against international quality standards in Germany and France, is now being promoted throughout Uganda and is being used in bread, cakes, biscuits and other processed products, including baby food. It is hoped that ‘Tooke’ products will also prove successful in export markets.

"PIBID has also managed to set up a processing factory, based in Bushenyi from where the processing of the bananas and general research is carried out. The factory in Nyaruzinga is also used to train farmers from the region on the banana value addition. They have an office in Kampala, in Nakasero," it says.

Commercialisation stage

The initiative's director general, the Rev. Prof. Florence Muranga, said PIBID has now reached the commercialisation stage where the development and expansion of technology business incubation (TBI) components from just banana production focus to the primary value-addition process through training is ongoing.

She said the Government is planning to buy more banana drying machines which are expected to enable the value-addition process of making matooke into flour faster to reach the export market early in large quantities.  

Muranga also said the Government is planning to give matooke farmers three square miles of its land in Isingiro district to promote banana growing.  

She added that the initiative has since contributed towards empowering farmers, particularly women and youth, through enhanced livelihoods, improved household incomes and strengthened food security across Banana farming regions: western, southwestern, central and eastern.

However, western is the highest banana producer with Isingiro producing 597,000, Mbarara 540,000 and Bushenyi 344,000 tonnes annually.