Gisagara will soon install a modern banana processing plant, the first of its kind in the district. And banana farmers are already upbeat, saying this presents a major market for their produce.

The facility will be co−owned by Gisagara District and Mountain Natural Food Ltd.

Léandre Karekezi, Gisagara District Mayor, said the plant will contribute to development of farmers and the district.

‘‘The facility will provide ready market for farmers and improve the quality of banana brew currently made locally,’’ Karekezi said.

It will be making bottled banana beer and juice, which the district believes would be of high quality.

"We got this idea after noticing that people were getting health related issues as a result of consuming unhygenic brew and juice made traditionally,” Karekezi said.

He said the banana beer or juice made by the plant will be of high quality and will be healthy for people’s consumption.

"We will ban traditional ways of making local brew which involves squeezing bananas using one’s feet.” he said.

"We are taking into account how to reduce the cost of production in order to make the price of beer or juice affordable for the people,” he added.

The plant is expected to have capacity to process five tonnes of bananas per day, worth about Rwf500 million.

The factory cost is estimated at over Rwf170 million and will be installed with machinery worth over $ 300,000, according to officials.

The firm is expected to start operations in August and will have a component for making plastic bottles for packaging.

Farmers welcomed the news saying it would address their marketing concerns.

"We have been taking our produce to various places looking for buyers who offered Rwf80 per kilogramme of bananas, which is very low.

‘‘There is also no market where we can sell our produce. We hope the new processing plant will be buying our produce from the field,” said Agnes Mukandutiye, a farmer.

Celestin Hakizimana, another farmer from Kibirizi Sector, said they would wish to sell a kilogramme of bananas at Rwf150 given the efforts put in production.

According to residents, locally made banana beer costs an average of Rwf200 a bottle.

This financial year, the district has planted genetically modified bananas on 253 ha. These would be supplied to the proposed plant.

While visiting Gisagara last Friday, the Minister for Trade and Industry, François Kanimba asked the district to speed up the shipping of the required machinery to enable the proposed plant start operations as soon as possible.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw