Farmers have a reason to cheer after discovery of a banana variety which is more resistant to pests. Three scientists at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology led by Esther Kahangi have strengthened the popular tissue culture banana to resist devastating pest which have been a nightmare for farmers.

Prof Kahangi who is largely credited with the tissue culture banana, high yield variety that matures early, teamed up with Mr Peter Mwaura and Ms Catherine Machungo. Prof Kahangi is convinced that the high yielding tissue culture banana has uplifted livelihoods of many Kenyans living in rural areas in close to 14 districts due to their rapid multiplication.

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The recent pledge by Asda chief executive Andy Bond to source an additional £30m worth of fresh produce from African farmers over the next five years, was a welcome relief by East African Farmers especially from Kenya after the recent elections violence which rocked the country.

Although most of the Horticulture farms in Kenya were not directly affected by the violence, many farmers are concerned by the negative publicity generated during this period.

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Consumers can brace themselves for higher potato prices as a result of spiralling potato production costs. Potatoes South Africa spokesperson, Pieter van Zyl says the production cost of potatoes has increased by 25% over the past six months, largely as a result of higher prices of fertilizer and pesticides which are imported.

Van Zyl says for potato producers to survive, the average price will have to increase to at least R30 a pocket. He foresees potato production dropping to a point where it becomes viable again for farmers to plant potatoes.

With an increase in revenue, but a fall in operating income, poultry group Sovereign Foods reports expansion plans for the future.

The company reports an increase of 27% to R581.2 mln as a result of a 9% increase in volume and an 18% increase in average selling price. But operating income fell to R87.5 mln from R108 mln.

“The difficult trading conditions in the last three months arose as a result of temporary problems with the upgrade of the processing plant, lower than expected market prices due to imports and industry over-capacity, delays in building new farming facilities, which resulted in worse than expected bird performance, and considerably higher than forecast feed raw materials,” the group said.

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The Uganda Rotary club (Bweyogerere branch) has given out free day-old chicks to several women’s groups an effort to help strengthen and expand the income and self-employment capacity of those women.

The president of the rotary club Sikolastika Nasinyima handed out the chicks to Agali-awamu women’s group, Mirembe women’s group, Balikyewunya women’s group, and Lwf women’s group. The birds were then passed on to the members.

According to Nasinyima, this support is only the beginning and that her club will do all it can to encourage and assist more women to join commercial rearing of poultry in the area.

In another related development, Kira municipal council has also started a programme through which it is giving out birds to youths, women, and groups in areas of Kira, Namugongo, Kyaliwajala, Bweyogerere and Banda. This is also an attempt to boost the level of income generation and self-emloyment in the municipal council.