Data obtained were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, and Microsoft Excel was used to generate tables and graphs. Sample size was determined using the Snedecor and Cochran formula, and data were collected using structured questionnaires, observation, and face to face interviews from 90 smallholder farmers. The study aimed to assess agronomic practices, banana production practices (main banana cultivars, source of planting materials), market information, and awareness of tissue culture bananas. The current study was carried in three counties, including Kisii, Nyamira, and Embu. However, many limiting factors affect banana farming, which cut across sociodemographic factors and agronomic and management practices. DPIRD has assisted Sweeter in its restructuring by providing analysis of its structure.Banana ( Musa acuminate L) is the world’s most widely known and distributed fruit and is a great contributor to food security in the developing world. Sweeter plans to further evolve its structure so that members are able to take more of the business’s accumulated value when they exit. Share holding is roughly proportionate to the volume of trade members do with the business, so the biggest users of the business contribute more capital to it. Periodic membership subscriptions reflect the overhead costs of membership. Good fruit takes less time to pack and this is reflected in packing charges. Sweeter’s structure has moved towards a co-operative that more closely aligns benefits and costs that each member receives, to the profits and costs each member brings to the business. This allows them more time and resources to focus on banana production.
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The co-operative’s management of packing, handling and marketing reduces the members’ business complexity. Members are able to view weekly production volumes and how well their fruit packed compared to other growers. It has an ongoing strategic plan to steadily reduce costs and build assets and this is regularly communicated to members. The business strives to make its management and costs transparent to its members via an internal website.
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This helps create a floor price for its bananas. Its branded banana bread can be used to store surplus fruit for later sale and this takes price pressure off its top lines.
WELLS BANANA ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT SKIN
It is investing in developing a value-added product to use up good fruit that it could not sell because of skin damage or small size. Sweeter funded its cold chain storage investment using DAFWA’s Co-operative Loan Scheme. This increases the flow of timely information from retail outlets and consumers back to the co-operative, and then to its producer members. It invests in its supply chain relationships employing a Perth-based accounts manager to deal directly with customers and also direct-sells to one major retail chain. This increases the value of its brands to consumers. It has also invested in cold chain storage to ensure tight quality control over its bananas. Lunchbox is the premium brand and Smoothies are fruit with slightly damaged skin. The co-operative has also invested in own brands, Lunchbox and Smoothies, to segregate products. Western Australian (WA) producers, like Sweeter, are able to leverage the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Buy West Eat Best brand to market to parochial WA consumers. Blind consumer trials show that a large majority of people prefer the taste and mouth feel of Carnarvon bananas. University testing confirmed that it is sweeter and creamier than its FNQ competitors’ fruit.
![wells banana accounting department wells banana accounting department](https://mac-cdn.softpedia.com/screenshots/Banana-Accounting_5.png)
Sweeter’s key asset is handling and marketing of its smaller, paler fruit.
About 60% of this was through the Sweeter Banana Co-operative which was achieving a 20% price premium over the FNQ market benchmark. Yet in 2012, banana production in Carnarvon was back to almost 7000 tonnes, or between 10 to 20% of the Perth market. In the early 1990s Carnarvon bananas were sold at a 20% discount to the larger, more coloured FNQ product. Declining transport costs and scale economies in the far North Queensland (FNQ) industry were the reasons the irrigation-dependent and scale-constrained Carnarvon industry had lost market share. The Carnarvon banana industry shrank from a peak 16 000 tonnes in 1993 to less than 4000 tonnes by 2004.