03/12/2019 | Somalia

A few decades ago, Somalia was a major exporter of bananas. Then years of civil war interrupted the expeditions. The resumption of exports just came a few days ago with the shipment of bananas to Saudi Arabia.

 

 

 

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced the resumption of banana exports for the first time in decades. The first cargo of exported bananas is destined for Saudi Arabia and includes 2 containers.

 

 

 

In 2017, Somalia produced 22,000 tonnes of bananas that were consumed locally. The Ministry of Agriculture has asked farmers to double production in order to sell on world markets.

 

 

 

This recovery in banana exports has been made possible by USAID's GEEL (Growth, Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods) project, which helps improve production, boost agricultural exports and increase employment.