Taita Taveta county in Kenya’s Pwani province has become the second largest banana producer in Kenya. A recent study by Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) says banana production in Taita Taveta grew from 5 per cent in 2018 to 9.7 per cent in 2020.
In the national scales of banana production, Taita Taveta is now only second to Meru County, which was ranked first with a banana productivity rate of 23.6 per cent. There are more than 6,000 banana farmers in the county, with a majority of them from Taita and Taveta Sub-Counties. The current acreage under banana farming stands at 4, 104 hectares, having increased from 2, 080 hectares in 2017. The county’s annual banana production in 2020 was 62, 580 tons, which goes to local consumption as well as regional and national banana trade.
According to kenyanews.go.ke¸ Taita Taveta has been making huge steps in not only becoming a regional banana production powerhouse but also making a significant mark in the global banana market.