By Umar Nsubuga
At the heart of Luwero district in the village of Kabuwomero, a group of farmers are reaping big from sweet banana farming.
Sweet banana growing is one of the many farming enterprises many commercial earn from.
One of the farmers, Denis Mawanda, says he planted 20 sweet banana suckers, leaving about four metres between rows.
According to Mawanda, the first harvest was done after about 11 months.
“I sprayed the plants to control pests and applied organic manure to improve soil fertility,” he said.
Mawanda noted the plant should be left with a few suckers around to maintain the sweetness and ensure enlargement of the fruits.
Sweet bananas are prone to pests. There is the challenge of insects like red ants. So you have to spray the plantation to kill them.
Mawanda also says it is advisable not to use a knife or a hoe to prevent wilt. It is good to plant different varieties because Ugandan customers need big sizes, while those outside Uganda prefer small ones.
Ready market
On average according to Mawanda, an acre can have 400 suckers, however, when they grow, the harvest increases depending on the season.
He says the ready market for sweet bananas is there at any time. Each bunch is between sh4,000 and sh10,000.
For him, buyers who want to come to the farm make their orders in advance because the demand for sweet bananas is high.
Tips on sweet banana maintenance
-Controlling weeds in the first year of life is important. Once the plants get enough leaves to completely shade the ground, weeds become less of a problem and mulching can keep the weeds down.
-Weeds can be hand-pulled or weeded with a hoe. Hand or hoe-weeding can either be carried out on its own or combined with chemical weed control. For example, ring or row weeding of banana plants can be followed by an herbicide application on the remaining weeds.
-Chemical weed control is less laborious, provides longer control and is faster than hand or hoe-weeding. Chemical weed-killers are applied using a knapsack sprayer.
If a contact herbicide is used, precautions must be taken to avoid if from drifting onto the bananas. Spraying should be done on a day with no or slight wind.
