Since 2008
Somalia Bananas and Warlords
In Somalia up until 1990, before warlords, insecurity, drought and poor infrastructure over 20 years has led to a collapse of Somali banana industry. Watering banana seedlings. Before the beginning of the reign of terror of Somali civil war and drought; Somalia was the largest banana exporter in Eastern Africa. The banana industry was vital in Somalia with exports mainly to Italy and Middle Eastern markets. Somalia is closer to Middle Eastern main ports and can thus provide fresher bananas at lower transport cost than bananas from other countries. In the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the banana offered a small glimmer of hope for Somalis trying to reclaim economic harmony. Due to the civil war, warlords, poor roads and storage facilities, which result in much spoilage and high prices far from producing areas, hunger and malnutrition were some of the major causes of suffering for significant sections of the population. Before the civil war, almost all ba
