In mid-2001, a banana growers association in Tambacounda asked the USAID-funded DynaEnterprise project (Dyna), implemented by Chemonics International, for help. Although Senegal consumed 35,000 tons of bananas last year, only 16,000 tons were locally produced and marketed. Low demand for locally grown bananas was traced to inferior quality and poor handling methods as compared to imports.

Dyna selected a consultant to research the links in the banana chain from production to retailing. The study, completed in early 2002, revealed a dysfunctional sub-sector torn by various regional associations defending their local interests. The findings and recommendations were presented to stakeholders, leading them to develop a vision of how they as a group could successfully compete with imported bananas. They created the National Federation of Banana Sector Operators (UNAFIBS) to represent all of Senegal. A study tour to Morocco organized for UNAFIBS leaders focused on handling/packaging/ripening technologies and facilities for arid regions. A Banana Day was held in Dakar to promote the local banana and the changes taking place in the sub-sector.

Within months of the Dyna interventions, significant changes occurred in Senegal's banana sub- sector:

• Producers purchased refrigerated trucks to ensure quality handling during the transport link;
• Cold storage specialists invested in rural refrigerated warehouses to reduce spoilage;
• Producers made large investments in drip irrigation that both increased production and reduced diseases caused by excessive watering; and
• New contracts were signed between wholesale distributors in the Dakar region and producers in distant regions (Tambacounda) for using the storage and cooling facilities of the wholesalers.

Recently, buyers agreed to pay double the previous price for a kilogram of Senegalese bananas provided they were packaged in specialized banana cartons. As a result of this decision, growers recently ordered 10,000 specialized banana-packing cartons. UNAFIBS and the preexisting banana associations report a new-found strength and vitality. Senegal's banana sub-sector is not only adapting new appropriate technology and reinforcing the links in the banana chain, but consumers are enjoying the sweeter taste of locally grown bananas. Projections for local production put the growth rate at above 20 percent annually.