BUJUMBURA October 2nd (ABP) – Banana is a crop that produces a large biomass and serves to reduce erosion, according to the researcher on banana crop at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Burundi (ISABU), Mr. Célestin Niyongere.
In an interview he gave to the check by ABP, Mr. Niyongere said that the biomass produced by banana crop is a source of material for animal fertilization and nutrition. It is also an important source for mulching in order to avoid evaporation at the ground level.
Banana crop, which serves to curb rainfall, also reduces erosion. It therefore has an effect on the protection of the environment and is a crop that favors continuous shading.
On a social level, Mr. Niyongere said that a person with banana plantations is like one with cows. They are considered in society as a rich person. In the daily festivities, banana beer is always present to be shared and to enhance the atmosphere. Banana beer strengthens social cohesion, said Niyongere.
He also pointed out that banana crop is used in its entirety. The leaves are used as a symbol to indicate the existence of banana beer, in the packaging of the white cassava bread (chikwangue or ubuswage). When the banana leaves are dry, they are used as roofing. The pseudo-trunk is used in nurseries to avoid the use of sachets. It is also used as rope and is put in composters to have organic manure.
In addition, peels of banana fruit are used for animal nutrition. Dessert fruit is considered a drug by its chemical composition rich in different vitamins that have an effect on cardiovascular diseases. It is also a source of energy. Banana crop is a plant that is environmentally friendly and important at the social level, he concluded.
