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Maendeleo Vijijini
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Holding a yellow polythene bag in his right hand, John Rukwaro
stood near one of the 600 banana plants he grows on five acres in Nyeri
and examined the fruit for a few seconds.
He then covered it carefully with the yellow bag and sealed the mouth.
Rukwaro
practices bagging technology, where he covers the tissue culture banana
fruits to protect them from bacterial and fungi infections like Cigar
end rot and Panama, a type of Fusarium wilt.
“I
learned the technology in Israel in May last year during a visit,” says
the farmer. “On the farm we visited, the farmer was practising the
technology to increase yields and curb spread of diseases.”
Upon
his return to Kenya, he bought several polythene bags and with his
workers, he covered the young fruits. He has been practising the
technology since then, perfecting it.
“I use the normal polythene bags of any colour but not black
because it absorbs a lot of heat. I cover mainly the younger fruits to
prevent them from getting infections that spread fast. The moisture
trapped in the perforated polythene bags also helps the bananas to
mature faster and grow bigger,” he says.
John Wambugu,
an agricultural officer at the Wambugu Agricultural Centre in Nyeri,
notes that bagging helps to create a micro-climate that maintains a high
temperature and prevents chill damage
“The micro-climate hastens growth of the fruits and makes them to mature faster.”
Wambugu says that bagging technology in the country has only been adopted by big banana farmers who export the fruits.
BENEFITS OF BAGGING
There
are two types of bagging. First there is one which is done when the
plant bracts have already fallen and fruits have started developing.
Second, early bragging is done when there is no fruit yet. Wambugu recommends early bagging.
“Early
bagging prevents the fruits from contracting diseases at an early stage
and they absorb enough moisture that makes them mature faster. When
bagging is done late, the fruits will not attract plenty of moisture to
make them mature faster.”
Rukwaro ventured into banana
farming in November 2013 after retiring as an accountant in the banking
industry and later attended training at the Kenya Agricultural and
Livestock Research Organisation in Thika and Wambugu farm in Nyeri.
He
injected into the business, Sh200,000 from his retirement package,
using the money to prepare the farm, buy fertiliser and some 600 Grandis
tissue culture seedlings.
To grow the plantlets, Rukwaro digs a 3 by 3 feet hole, which he fills with soil, manure and some DAP fertiliser.
“I then plant the seedlings ensuring that their nursery soil is not lost,” explains Rukwaro.
He, thereafter, mixes a nematicide with water at a ratio of 1:1 and applies it round the plant to prevent diseases.
“I
normally water the seedlings twice a week with 20 litres at each time. I
add animal manure after two months, remove weeds and spray regular to
curb diseases.”
His bananas produce bunches weighing up
to 80kg, thanks to the bagging technology. He sells the bananas in
Nyeri and in Nairobi at between Sh300 to Sh500 depending on the size and
weight.
In a month, he is able to take in between Sh50,000 to Sh80,000.
The
bananas are ready for harvest from 12 to 14 months. The second harvest
is done after every four months until the suckers die.
SOURCE: SEEDSOFGOLD
SOURCE: SEEDSOFGOLD
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