The National Banana Association is a farmer led initiative that promotes the interests of small and large scale banana growing farmers, processors and marketers. Founded in November 2009, its goal is to advance the Kenya banana industry through innovation and advocacy through uniting banana growers, processors and marketers in order to create beneficial policies, effective relationships within the industry, profitable opportunities through research and technology and contribute positively to national development.

The chairman for the National Banana Association, Major (ret) Gideon Gitonga M’miruri sees a bright future. His vision encompasses the growing and consumption of bananas in every household. He sees the association being pivotal in promoting the local growth and consumption of bananas, sensitizing stakeholders on beneficiation and value addition, and being an enabler for entrepreneurial and economic activity.

Some of the issues that the society intends to address are the standardization of quality and packaging of banana fruit, improved access of farmers to market information, coordination of disease management within zones, advocacy for positive government policy on the banana industry, penetration into regional and international export markets and partnership with organizations that promote the interest of the farmers.

Major Gitonga noted the support that the society has received from institutions such as Africa Harvest and Technoserve. The association is currently using Africa Harvest’s offices to manage its affairs until a secretariat office is established. Furthermore, the association is currently represented by farmer groups in Central, Eastern and Western provinces. It plans to engage in a national campaign to enlist banana industry stakeholders across the different zones in Kenya.