Somalia resumes Banana export to Middle East

Somali Government has resumed the export of Banana to middle eastern countries.

The first shipment of high-quality fruits produced by Somali farmers was seen off at the Mogadishu port by Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, Saed Hussein Eid on Wednesday.

The first consignment will be delivered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia before large scale export to other regional countries in forthcoming weeks.

The Minister urged Somali farmers to increase production as the government works towards a new market for their produce.

A Joint collaboration from the Ministry of Agriculture, Business community and USAID Growth, enterprise, employment, and livelihoods project is helping Somali farmers explore the international market.

Somalia was one of the leading Banana exporters in the world before the breakout of the civil war in the country nearly three decades ago.

Ecuador is currently the largest exporter of bananas in the world and its share of world banana trade is on the increase.

Exports expanded from one million tonnes in 1985 to 3.6 million tonnes in 2000.

This is equivalent to an average annual rate of about 9 percent, the highest of the top five exporting countries including Colombia, Philippines, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.