Banana growers happy with the harvest

A banana plant stands high with its yields in Mukono district

As other farmers are grappling with the poor harvests of 2015, this is not the case with banana growers. Banana growers in Mukono district count themselves lucky in the New Year. 

The season that has lasted for months now has affected many farmers, including those dealing in livestock products. 

However, this is a different case for those growing bananas, commonly known as Matooke in Mukono district. Makooke growers have at least not felt the pinch of the drought and they attribute this to the drought-resistance nature of banana plants.
   

In the district now, it is only Matooke left for food among the population as other crops like maize have been destroyed by the prolonged drought. Also available is cassava which endowers the hot sun. 
However, banana growers also count loses in the yields of their products, although they see the loss as meager.

In Mukono district, many people find it hard to pay for a bunch of Makooke which is now at Shillings 30,000 as opposed to the Shillings 18,000 three months ago. 

This, according to the community members, makes the cost of living unaffordable since many of them do causal work for a living.