A banana juice producing factory is set to start production in Mwurire Sector, Rwamagana District.

Construction works for the factory estimated to cost $1.5 million (about Rwf1.2bn), started in March, 2016 and its first phase has been completed. The factory will have a daily production capacity of at least 5,000 (330ml) bottles but with possibility to increase production, and is expected to start production in May next year.

The factory is good news for farmers in Rwamagana and surrounding areas. Farmers across the country should take advantage of the opportunities presented by the factory. The factory which has capacity to produce up to 10,000 bottles of banana juice should not face any challenges because of shortage of bananas.

Farmers have over 5 months to prepare and position themselves to benefit from the factory. Local leaders in the district should mobilize farmers to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the factory especially along the value chain.

The factory has potential to cut the country’s import bill on beverages, if it produces products that meet international standards. And, there is no reason to doubt that the state-of-the-art factory will produce products that will be competitive on the regional and global market.

The addition of the factory will increase the total number of registered professional banana beverage makers to 90 from the current 89 registered under Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

The factory will play a big role in enhancing the beverage making industry which will also boost the country’s economic growth.

The average banana production in Rwamagana stands at 24 tonnes per hectare annually and it is grown on about 16,000 hectares in the district. The district produces 384,000 tonnes of banana per annum.

However, with the factory, farmers might have to find ways of increasing production capacity to efficiently supply the new factory.