Uganda To Reap Big From 'Matooke'

The Republic of Uganda is set to benefit from its banana food crop after a group of agricultural experts responding to a UN request discovered that the delicacy could prove important for millions of people in years to come.

The study carried out by CGIAR agricultural partnership was examining the effects of climate change on 22 of the world’s most important food crops and made conclusions predicting good times ahead for the banana crop family.

This is good news for a country like Uganda whose major food crop is the banana that grows well in the central, western and southern regions majorly as a result of its geographical location and favorable climate.

The study however foresaw grim times ahead for the potato food crop due to its inability to withstand harsh weather conditions.

This research was based solely on establishing how food crops would be able to survive impacts of climate change. Cassava which is also a popular food crop in Uganda fared well in the study

The findings of this research are good news for Uganda whose dependency on agriculture stands at an estimated 80% and justifies President Yoweri Museveni’s Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development to promote the crop established seven years ago.