Production and marketing efficiency of banana in the Sudan

This study intended to assess the production and marketing efficiency of banana, identify and prioritize constraints and threats to sustainable production; and provide an outline for long-tenll research activities to enhance the production and marketing efficiency. Three questionnaires were carefully designcd for data collection from the respondent producers (65), wholesalers (30) and retailers (66) during 2007 with a total sample size of 161 respondents and pre-tested in the selected sites, Kassala, Sinnar and Khartoum. Multistage stratified random sampling technique was used. Secondary data was collected from the available statistics of the Govemment departments and non-government organizations. The infonnation arranged and analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) for the estimation of the required parameters that reflect the production and marketing efficiency. The study indicated that banana producers use un-appropriate means of banana production and the diffusion of the improved technologies is still very low. High rates of losses (20-40%) have been reported due to poor crop management practices coupled with inappropriate post harvest techniques. In addition to that, unavailability of improved varieties, irrigation regime and fertilizer application, the incidence of nematodes, corm weevil, aphids, fruit fly and termite are the major constraints facing banana production. Results also revealed that banana production is scarce during the period between November and February and its price rise at the beginning of the rainy season when the products become scarce. The study revealed that the production and the marketing systems in Khartoum is more efficient than that in Sinnar and Kassala as indicated by the high benefit/cost ratio, high producer prices, high producer share and low marketing margins. Results of the correlation coefficients showed high degree of market integration at the three stages of marketing system between Sinnar and Khartoum due to the closer distance between the two markets which facilitate the transfer of infonnation between them and reduce the transportation cost. Results indicated that inefficiency of the production and marketing system to generate remunerative rewards to the various participants in the system due to high marketing margins has contributed to the low performance of the Sudanese banana export sector. However, there are promising opportunities for banana trade from Sudan, especially to Arab World market as a result of high potential for the production of banana for export. To achieve this purpose, the study suggests direction of research efforts to introduce new productive cultivar and strains of banana demanded by tbe extemal markets and develop biotic and abiotic stress resistant cultivar that have high yielding potentiality with good quality standard, improve the post-harvest management, handlings, transportation and processing techniques to avoid serious post-harvest losses and to encourage expansion of banana production for both domestic and export purposes