Banana peel bran solves two issues in Uganda
Local community initiatives in Uganda have developed a way of converting banana peels into poultry feed, reducing the offal load in the streets and providing a cheap raw material to farmers.
Over 1,500 t of garbage are generated daily in Kampala, capital of Uganda, which the city council has difficulties to collect and process. Three quarters of garbage rots uncollected on pavements, streets, sewerage outlets and water channels.
Thanks to an innovation of Kasubi Parish Local Community Development Initiative and Kawaala Recycling and Manufacturing Development Group the waste problem is reduced since they have started turning banana peels into veterinary feeds.
Moses Nadiope, the coordinator of Kasubi Parish Local Community Development Initiative, said the project of turning banana peels into banana bran was developed from the general observation that chicken, pigs, and cows ate the raw peels.
“We wondered why the peels could not be dried and milled into feeds,” he said.
Over 70% of the garbage in the area are banana peels, which makes the sourcing of the raw material for making the banana peel bran easy.
“Our project reduces the burden of garbage in our neighborhood because we buy dried banana peels from residents at Shs120 (app. €4 cents) per kg,” Nadiope said.
Processing mill
The project is supported by Environmental Alert, an NGO working to ensure environmental protection, bought them a mill they are now using to process the banana peel bran. The machine was given to them on credit but they will be able to clear the debt from the profits they make.
Every day 1 t of peel bran from 6 t of dry banana peels is produced. The banana peel bran is a good substitute to maize bran, which is becoming very expensive for poultry farmers. Lab test showed that the banana peel bran has enough phosphorous, proteins, calcium and is free from heavy metals.
Makerere University scientists observed that the bran is safe but they have to be properly dried on polythene sheets and kept in dry places to avoid dampness which creates conditions for bacterial multiplication. Farmers need to add cotton seed, silver fish (mukene), sun flower and other ingredients to make proper meals for poultry, pigs and other animals.
At Shs250 (app. €9 cents) per kg the banana bran is very cheap compared to a kg of maize bran that ranges between Shs350-Shs500 (€12-18 cents).
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