You would expect to find fishing boats and nets on any lake shore. However, this was not the case when we visited Lake Muhazi in Gicumbi District.

Off the lake shores is a banana plantation covering more than 15 hectares of land. The vast plantation belongs to Theogen Bimenyimana, a resident of Bukule sector in Gicumbi District.

The former laboratory technician earns more than Rwf5million from banana growing and cattle rearing every season- thanks to the support from Business Development Fund (RDB).

However, his success story has not come on a silver platter. The 40-year-old chemist has had to struggle through hard work to become an inspirational farmer in Gicumbi.

It has taken him nearly 10 years to build a business that is the reference point in his area.

How he started

Bimenyimana started out as a simple laboratory technician at Gicumbi milk collection centre.

"This was after I had completed my college certificate in biochemistry,” he said adding that as a biochemist, he always dreamt of becoming a doctor but fate decided otherwise.

But as a lab technician, he was not a happy man because of the meager pay. It was the low pay that later inspired him to try out farming.

"It was the small salary I earned, which inspired me to join farming,” Bimenyimana told Business Times adding that saving money as a lab technician was nearly impossible despite the increasing demands on the side of his basic needs.

He says the high demand for bananas in the country was another motivating factor that inspired him to go into farming.

The farmer from Bukule says that although Rwanda’s terrain does not favour extensive farming especially bananas, he was assured of succeeding because of Lake Muhazi, which would guarantee him irrigation water. He says he started with 1ha of land before expanding to venture into other crops including maize and beans.

Going commercial

His initial idea was to grow bananas for local consumption within Gicumbi, but after conducting a market survey in Kigali, he decided to go into commercial farming. However, the only challenge that was standing in his way was access to finance.

He says he was tossed up and down by many credit institutions until he approached BDF.

"I needed money to expand my plantation and yet I had no collateral to secure a loan from a bank,” he narrated, adding that banks were not willing to buy his idea of banana farming. Meanwhile, when all seemed impossible for the lab technician turned farmer, BDF gave him a sigh of relief by accepting to partner with him on his banana project.

However, he was given one condition to get funding. He was tasked to mobilize fellow farmers through land consolidation to be able to get the cash. Indeed BDF accepted to give him Rwf2.5million, which he used to buy more land and seedlings.

With the funding, he also employed more workers thus increasing productivity.

Dealing with drought

Despite the support, Bimenyimana says he had to deal with drought to be able to maintain steady supplies and stay competitive.

"Besides I had to wait for about 18 months before the first harvest, which made me uncomfortable,”  he recalls adding  that  he  had  signed  supply contracts with buyers promising to deliver right on time.  

However, with drought, timely supplies often become a challenge.

He pointed out that the only alternative was to rely on his fellow farmers in the area to be able to satisfy the market.  Bimenyimana also had to deal with the challenge of pests and diseases.

From a simple lab technician, Bimenyimana harvests 2 tones of bananas every week earning himself close to Rwf5million every month. He also has managed to expand his farm to more than 15ha and consolidated it with other farmers in Bukule.

He says the initiative has helped farmers to access farm inputs and other agronomical related services from government much easier.

From the savings, he has constructed a modern house, pays school fees for his 3 children and has bought a truck to transport his produce to the market. He has also diversified into cattle farming among other activities.

How to profit from banana farming

The model farmer says that banana farming can be economically profitable if managed well.

He tips that for one to profit from the crop, they must ensure right balance in terms of soil texture, humidity and temperature.

Bananas require a lot of water, but are prone to rotting if the water does not drain adequately, he advises. He says the crop often requires huge investment in terms of infrastructure and technology for transport, irrigation, drainage and packing facilities.

Bimenyimana advises government to continue investing in postharvest storage facilities and improve rural road network to support farmers.

Future plans

He says he hopes he will save enough money and set up a banana juice processing plant, but also produce the crop for export market.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw