EASTERN PROVINCE

KAYONZA—In line with government’s program of green revolution, Kamara Cooperative society has started supplying Kamara banana sprouts to farmers.

"With the help of RHODA, a project in the ministry of Agriculture, we intend to supply 100,000 banana sprouts before the end of the rainy season,” Anastase Rwabizankwaya, president of the Cooperative said, while loading a consignment of banana sprouts for Kayonza farmers.

He said that their cooperative has already supplied 3875 banana sprouts to residents of Ngoma district, 3875 in Kayonza, 3875 to Gatsibo, 3875 in Nyagatare and more than 1000 to farmers in Rwamagana.

The intensified growing of the bananas come after it emerged that Vallendar spirit, produced from Kamara banana plant was voted as best spirit in the World Spirit Award competitions held in Austria on March 18, this year.

"There is need for extensive growing of bananas to supply the factory yet to be built in this area,” Rwabizankwaya said.

Following the award, Hubertus Vallendar who produced the spirit and christened it his first name Vallendar, has expressed intentions to establish a spirits factory in Rwanda.

"Vallendar won the first place of the Exotic Spirits with 94.3 points in the World Spirit Award held in Austria on March 18, 2007,” Vallendar told residents of Kirehe, at Gatore play ground, the day he revealed intentions to build a spirit factory in the area.

Rwabizankwaya says that after supplying banana sprouts throughout the Eastern, they would turn of other parts of the country.

The mayor of Kirehe district Patrick Nkunzumwami also noted that until recently Kamaramasenge type of bananas were grown simply for yellow bananas which were presumed for children without knowing that it can produce the world’s prestigious drink like Vallendar spirit.

He asked residents to utilize the up-coming chance to grow more bananas with special emphasis on Kamara type.

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