An aerial view of the most communities in Bunyangabo district gives you a true picture of a farming community where households are reaping from their sweat. Unfortunately, thieves are taking advantage of the increased production by raiding farmers’ gardens to steal bananas. According to Abban Tugumisirize a banana farmer, thieves have forced him to incur extra expenses of hiring guards whom he pays 100,000 shillings to secure his plantation. “We are employing guards to look after the plantations. So you find that you have somebody who looks after the plantation and you pay him monthly at around 100,000. Most of our youths who are not working, we have mobilized them into banana farming.”

The market for bananas in Bunyangabo district is readily available during the dry season as the buyers find farmers deep in their village plantations but during the rainy season, the story changes as roads become slippery and impassable scaring away buyers and they resort to buying along highways. “When the roads are slippery the price of bananas also go a bit low because traders cannot manage to go deep inside the plantations.” James Agaba is a former businessman who switched to banana farming after making losses in business. He told me that on his 3-acre banana plantation, he harvests 20 bunches and sells each bunch at 30,000 shillings giving him 1.2 million a month. His future plan is to harvest 4 Lorries monthly after expanding his plantation.

James Ategeka the District Chairman said the business is being affected by some farmers in the Sub Counties of Kiyombya, Buhwesi, and Kisomoro who are still practicing poor farming methods. “The Sub Counties of Kiyombya, Buhwesi, and Kisomoro where they are still growing the other local banana type called Kitika which doesn’t yield.” The district has since engaged the production team to reach out to farmers teaching them modern farming methods to increase production.