Banana, locally known as matooke, is a staple food crop in Uganda, Tanzania and other Great Lakes countries. It is mainly consumed in the central and western parts of the country.
Rev. Florence Isabirye, the managing director of Tooke, says matooke, which remains the most commonly consumed food crop in the country had started losing market and value among people living in urban areas.
“I brought theTookeidea three years back to keep the pride and value of women who prepared and planted matooke in rural area, children in boarding schools so that they continue having this starch food even in busy and limited situations,” Isabirye said.
Tooke is a brand for green banana, maize, wheat, millet flour and cassava made under Banana Industrial Research Development Centre.
Banana does not cause constipation, its biscuits texture is hard and does not cause tooth decay.
Isabirye says the Tooke brand produces raw tooke flour, biscuits, flakes, porridge and crisps. Its porridge is very easy to prepare with just hot water.
The biscuits cost sh3,000-sh6,000 and a kilo of flour is between sh4,500 and sh6,000.
Tooke has given market to matooke plants and they process 1.3 toones a day, with plans to scale up production and create more market for matooke in Uganda.
