Harvesting

• Bananas are ready for harvesting after about 12-15 months. However, maturity depends on the variety.
• The fruit is cut down from the banana tree when mature. The color of the fruits when ripe varies among varieties. For some varieties especially matoke, the colour remains green but for the beer and dessert varieties, the color turns yellow.
• Harvest your banana bunches with a curved knife, or a sharp panga. You will need to cut the bunch stem carefully.
• Average yields of bananas are 1000 – 1200 bunches per hectare/annum under medium husbandry practices and 1250 bunches under excellent husbandry practices.
• Care should be taken to prevent the fruits from being bruised.