Kilimanjaro — BANANA farmers in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region have secured the crop reliable market following the launching of the collection centre in the area by the East Africa Foods Company.

Speaking on behalf of banana farmers at Soko Chap in Mamsera area, the Chairperson of banana farmers' group Ms Lucia Shirima said the launching of the facility was a great blessing for the banana farmers within the district.

"This centre has increased the value of banana and boosted farmers earnings compared to the past when we were selling the produce at low prices through middlemen," she said.

She added, "In the past we used to sell bananas to middlemen at a price ranging between 1,500/- and 2,000/- a bunch regardless of the size but now we get an average of between 10,000/- and 15,000/- a bunch,"

Ms Shirima said that the move has improved their lives with most farmers using their incomes to build modern houses, funding education of their children at various levels including those (children) pursuing their studies in higher learning institutions.

"We thank East Africa Foods Company for coming and implementing the idea of establishing this banana collection center, our hope is to get extra benefits from this new project," she said.

Speaking during the launching, the East Africa Foods Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Elia Timotheo said that the establishment of the centre aimed at increasing the crop's value.

"A lot of banana crops are produced in Rombo District and since our company is focused on distributing agricultural products, we decided to come up with this project to collect bananas with the intention of finding markets in other parts of the country", he said.

Mr Timotheo added that the company is expected to reach more than 15,000 banana farmers next year through the project and that the company's future plan is to expand the scope of the project outside the country.