Innovative Market Access Options and Opportunities

Bananas are a major staple food in Uganda, constitutes approximately 70% of the family food basket. An estimated 75% of farmers in Uganda produce banana in rural areas and almost entirely depend on the sale of fresh banana fruits for household income. However, with the high production of bananas in rural areas, the village markets which primary producers look upon are not dependable, since majority of the rural dwellers consume from their own production. As a result of the state of affairs, market access is constrained; this necessitates creativity through innovation among the banana value chain (BVC) actors to ease market access. This study aimed at identifying innovative market access options, avenues for upgrading the banana value chain, constraints of the banana market option's adoption and existing policy and legal framework in the banana sub-sector as a basis for improving efficiency in the banana trade system. The study was conducted in Kabale, Mbale and Mbarara districts and adopted an exploratory cross-sectional research design whereby qualitative and quantitative data were collected.