Obstacles of conflicts on banana production and marketing in the agricultural development project of Merka district in Lower Shabelah region, south Somalia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the economic impact of the decline in banana exports in the Merka district, Somalia. Bananas and their business constitute the backbone of Somalia's economy, being the second most crucial component after livestock. Various reasons, including the civil war in Somalia and poor security, led banana companies to cease exporting, resulting in a significant economic impact on Somali society. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey approach, distributing a designed questionnaire to the target population comprising 60 banana experts, farmers, economists, and other exporters. The researchers used the Slovenian formula to determine a sample size of 52 individuals and employed a non-probability purposive sampling method. For data analysis, descriptive statistical analysis with mean and standard deviation was conducted using the SPSS application version 16. According to the study's results, the majority of respondents, 69.2 per cent, attributed the fall in banana exports to a lack of security. Similarly, 48.1 per cent of respondents attributed the decline to inappropriate marketing. Additionally, 36.5 per cent of respondents agreed that the lack of infrastructure was the cause, while 42.3 per cent attributed it to the absence of government facilities. I strongly agree with this assessment. Finally, 30.8 per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that land conflicts were responsible for the decline in banana exports in Merka, Somalia. The researchers recommended enhancing security in banana plantation areas, modernising existing markets and exploring new ones, incentivising local production and improving infrastructure, particularly roads connecting plantations to markets.