Cameroon banana, S/African apple take over Nigerian fruit markets
- Details
- Category: Around and about
- Written by Solomon Chung
- Hits: 1914
The influx of different foreign goods and items into the Nigerian markets has obviously taken a new dimension. This could be seen in the many assorted fruits found in some fruits markets as well as road side hawkers of such products, particularly in Abuja.
Weekly Trust’s survey revealed that the most common of such consumables presently in many parts of Abuja fresh fruit spots are the South Africa packaged apple and the Cameroon banana.
Many hawkers as well as dealers of the commodities affirmed that a lot of consumers of such fruits prefer them to the local breeds.
According to Janet, a young lady who hawks banana and apple (fruits) at the Kubwa Federal Housing junction, the patronage of the so-called Cameroon banana is very high as the texture, colour and endowment of the fruit attracts unsuspecting buyers regardless of the price tag or the cost as the case may be.
She claimed not to have the full knowledge of the fact that that particular breed of banana was imported from neighboring Cameroon. ``Sincerely, I don’t know if that kind of banana is imported from any neighboring country. All I know is that most of my customers, especially some Hausa people, whenever they park their cars, they‘ll asked if I have ``Dan Cameroon.
Many customers demand for it. In fact, it was from my customers that I got to know that such specie of banana was from Cameroon. For some customers, if it is not that type, they‘d rather not buy the banana. Instead, they go for apple which, of course, we know is from South Africa, because it is packaged with address and all detailed importation/shipping information.’’
In her own version of the information, Madam Kate, a middle-aged housewife who also hawks the same product said, the Cameroon banana is not the same as the others. She confirmed that even at the point of purchase, they use to buy it at a higher price than the regular greenish, smallish bananas. That the Cameroon banana is quite attractive that customers don’t contemplate buying it no matter what or how much it might cost them.
“It looks different. It is unique and attractive, very big and beautiful. Sometimes it comes in midget sizes but with bountiful flesh than even some plantains that are presumed to be bountiful due to their natural sizes. They are also very tasty, sweet with some nourishing flavor.’’
She also said she learnt of the fact that they are brought into Nigeria from Cameroon by one of her major dealers in Madallah market.
``It was my madam (meaning major supplier) in Madallah market that told me they are not from Nigeria. She is a major dealer; they use to bring her goods from the East, she said when bringing them for her, they use to combine the items with the Cameroon banana because they are nice, and in Cameroon, the government encourage their farmers to penetrate other African markets. Thus, Nigeria is one of their target markets.’’
She said whenever she has the Cameroon specie it doesn’t stay longer than neccessary. Some customers often call her to ascertain if she has them in stock, especially during the past Ramadan period.
``Some of my Hausa customers used to come and buy for huge quantities. I believe some of them use them as gifts to give other friends or family members. There was one Alhaji who lives in Federal Housing, he sent his children the other day (two days to Sallah) to come and buy that particular specie. They came and bought the Cameroon banana worth about 3,000 naira.
A taste of the Cameroon banana proves that it is appetizing and rich. A big bunch of it is sold at N500, N450 and N400 depending on the sizes, number of sticks in a bunch and the bargaining power of the prospective customer.
Madam Kate said the ripe Cameroon banana is utilized in a multitude of ways, from simply being peeled and eaten out of hand to being sliced and served in fruit crops and salads, sandwiches, custards and gelatins, being mashed and incorporated into ice cream, bread, muffins and cream pies.
It could as well be baked, roasted or boiled and served perhaps with a garnish of brown sugar or chopped peanuts. May be thinly cooked with lemon juice and sugar to make jam or sauce stirring frequently during 20 or 30 minutes until the mixture jells.
The Cameroon banana is similar with other species in terms of preservatio. When harvested, it could be allowed to ripen naturally or artificially. Post-harvest ripening is expedited undesirably if bunches or hands are stored in unventilated polyethylene bags. Like other regular Nigerian species of banana, it is generally ripened in storage with 90 to 95% relative humidity or 85% by ventilation.
Kenneth Uche, 34, a regular customer/consumer of banana who happens to always patronize the Cameroon specie when available said it is the attractive nature and endowment of the specie that he likes. He, however, said such beautiful species are also found in Nigeria.
He said whenever he is travelling to Jos, Plateau State, he gets other beautiful species along the road, particularly along `Forest’ a popular travelers’ fruit market between Southern Kaduna and Jos. He said though the Cameroon bananas are nice, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily better than what we have in Nigeria.
``You can get rich and beautiful bananas in Forest, sometimes just like the Cameroon banana or even better and at a cheaper rate. Even in some parts of the West and Eastern parts of the country one can get such huge and beautiful bananas.
So, it is not as if the Cameroon bananas are in Nigerian markets because our farmers cannot produce good ones. I think it is just a matter of market opportunities. The Cameroonians have been able to penetrate the Nigerian market at the right time.’’
However, he said that the penetration of such goods into the country is not unconnected to the fact that the Nigerian market is highly populated as well as the desire for things from outside of Nigeria by Nigerian consumers. (The `crazy’ notion that they are better than homemade)’’
Observation revealed that the Cameroon banana do not have much black spots on them; they are yellowish, fresh and a bit chubby in nature. Some of them come with some numbers/tags on them.
However, like regular bananas, despite its endowed nature, it is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnese and a very good source of vitamin B6 as well.
To further confirm the agribusiness policy of exporting banana as adopted by the Cameroonian government, Thomas Dubios of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA) said, “The future of banana in Africa should move towards strengthening local and regional markets and market linkages that can feed the increasing urban populations, as well as taking advantage of value addition through processing for products like banana chips, fried snacks, flour, fibre, and other consumer goods. This will not happen without more intensive and deliberate efforts towards developing marketing strategies that will facilitate the consumption of these products.”
“In Africa alone, over 100 million people depend on banana as a staple of their diet,” said Hartmann, Director-General of IITA. “Trade is important but we must be sure to also look at the impacts of trade on food security.”
Sub-Saharan Africa produces 30 million tons of bananas, which provide food for about 100 million people and account for 35 per cent of global banana and plantain production.
In a statement, IITA, Nigeria said with diminished access to European markets threatening to cost African farmers millions of dollars in lost exports, an international assemblage of banana experts that met in Kenya recently warned that African growers must move quickly to take advantage of many local and regional opportunities for expanding production and boosting incomes.
Articles
Cameroon banana, S/African apple take over Nigerian fruit markets
Category: Around and about Written by Solomon Chung Hits: 1914
The influx of different foreign goods and items into the Nigerian markets has obviously taken a new dimension. This could be seen in the many assorted fruits found in some fruits markets as well as road side hawkers of such products, particularly in Abuja.
Weekly Trust’s survey revealed that the most common of such consumables presently in many parts of Abuja fresh fruit spots are the South Africa packaged apple and the Cameroon banana.
Many hawkers as well as dealers of the commodities affirmed that a lot of consumers of such fruits prefer them to the local breeds.
According to Janet, a young lady who hawks banana and apple (fruits) at the Kubwa Federal Housing junction, the patronage of the so-called Cameroon banana is very high as the texture, colour and endowment of the fruit attracts unsuspecting buyers regardless of the price tag or the cost as the case may be.
She claimed not to have the full knowledge of the fact that that particular breed of banana was imported from neighboring Cameroon. ``Sincerely, I don’t know if that kind of banana is imported from any neighboring country. All I know is that most of my customers, especially some Hausa people, whenever they park their cars, they‘ll asked if I have ``Dan Cameroon.
Many customers demand for it. In fact, it was from my customers that I got to know that such specie of banana was from Cameroon. For some customers, if it is not that type, they‘d rather not buy the banana. Instead, they go for apple which, of course, we know is from South Africa, because it is packaged with address and all detailed importation/shipping information.’’
In her own version of the information, Madam Kate, a middle-aged housewife who also hawks the same product said, the Cameroon banana is not the same as the others. She confirmed that even at the point of purchase, they use to buy it at a higher price than the regular greenish, smallish bananas. That the Cameroon banana is quite attractive that customers don’t contemplate buying it no matter what or how much it might cost them.
“It looks different. It is unique and attractive, very big and beautiful. Sometimes it comes in midget sizes but with bountiful flesh than even some plantains that are presumed to be bountiful due to their natural sizes. They are also very tasty, sweet with some nourishing flavor.’’
She also said she learnt of the fact that they are brought into Nigeria from Cameroon by one of her major dealers in Madallah market.
``It was my madam (meaning major supplier) in Madallah market that told me they are not from Nigeria. She is a major dealer; they use to bring her goods from the East, she said when bringing them for her, they use to combine the items with the Cameroon banana because they are nice, and in Cameroon, the government encourage their farmers to penetrate other African markets. Thus, Nigeria is one of their target markets.’’
She said whenever she has the Cameroon specie it doesn’t stay longer than neccessary. Some customers often call her to ascertain if she has them in stock, especially during the past Ramadan period.
``Some of my Hausa customers used to come and buy for huge quantities. I believe some of them use them as gifts to give other friends or family members. There was one Alhaji who lives in Federal Housing, he sent his children the other day (two days to Sallah) to come and buy that particular specie. They came and bought the Cameroon banana worth about 3,000 naira.
A taste of the Cameroon banana proves that it is appetizing and rich. A big bunch of it is sold at N500, N450 and N400 depending on the sizes, number of sticks in a bunch and the bargaining power of the prospective customer.
Madam Kate said the ripe Cameroon banana is utilized in a multitude of ways, from simply being peeled and eaten out of hand to being sliced and served in fruit crops and salads, sandwiches, custards and gelatins, being mashed and incorporated into ice cream, bread, muffins and cream pies.
It could as well be baked, roasted or boiled and served perhaps with a garnish of brown sugar or chopped peanuts. May be thinly cooked with lemon juice and sugar to make jam or sauce stirring frequently during 20 or 30 minutes until the mixture jells.
The Cameroon banana is similar with other species in terms of preservatio. When harvested, it could be allowed to ripen naturally or artificially. Post-harvest ripening is expedited undesirably if bunches or hands are stored in unventilated polyethylene bags. Like other regular Nigerian species of banana, it is generally ripened in storage with 90 to 95% relative humidity or 85% by ventilation.
Kenneth Uche, 34, a regular customer/consumer of banana who happens to always patronize the Cameroon specie when available said it is the attractive nature and endowment of the specie that he likes. He, however, said such beautiful species are also found in Nigeria.
He said whenever he is travelling to Jos, Plateau State, he gets other beautiful species along the road, particularly along `Forest’ a popular travelers’ fruit market between Southern Kaduna and Jos. He said though the Cameroon bananas are nice, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily better than what we have in Nigeria.
``You can get rich and beautiful bananas in Forest, sometimes just like the Cameroon banana or even better and at a cheaper rate. Even in some parts of the West and Eastern parts of the country one can get such huge and beautiful bananas.
So, it is not as if the Cameroon bananas are in Nigerian markets because our farmers cannot produce good ones. I think it is just a matter of market opportunities. The Cameroonians have been able to penetrate the Nigerian market at the right time.’’
However, he said that the penetration of such goods into the country is not unconnected to the fact that the Nigerian market is highly populated as well as the desire for things from outside of Nigeria by Nigerian consumers. (The `crazy’ notion that they are better than homemade)’’
Observation revealed that the Cameroon banana do not have much black spots on them; they are yellowish, fresh and a bit chubby in nature. Some of them come with some numbers/tags on them.
However, like regular bananas, despite its endowed nature, it is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnese and a very good source of vitamin B6 as well.
To further confirm the agribusiness policy of exporting banana as adopted by the Cameroonian government, Thomas Dubios of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA) said, “The future of banana in Africa should move towards strengthening local and regional markets and market linkages that can feed the increasing urban populations, as well as taking advantage of value addition through processing for products like banana chips, fried snacks, flour, fibre, and other consumer goods. This will not happen without more intensive and deliberate efforts towards developing marketing strategies that will facilitate the consumption of these products.”
“In Africa alone, over 100 million people depend on banana as a staple of their diet,” said Hartmann, Director-General of IITA. “Trade is important but we must be sure to also look at the impacts of trade on food security.”
Sub-Saharan Africa produces 30 million tons of bananas, which provide food for about 100 million people and account for 35 per cent of global banana and plantain production.
In a statement, IITA, Nigeria said with diminished access to European markets threatening to cost African farmers millions of dollars in lost exports, an international assemblage of banana experts that met in Kenya recently warned that African growers must move quickly to take advantage of many local and regional opportunities for expanding production and boosting incomes.