Vithanage Erandi Kawshalya Madhushani Jade Times Staff
V.E.K. Madhushani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Africa.
From Climate Challenges to Economic Success, Farmers in Malawi Find New Value in Banana Wine
In northern Malawi, small scale farmer Emily Nkhana used to struggle with overripe bananas, often discarding them or letting them rot. However, she and other farmers in Karonga district have found a profitable solution turning their excess bananas into banana wine.
Extreme heat in the region was causing bananas to ripen too quickly, leading to significant losses. “Then we discovered how to make banana wine,” says Nkhana, as she peels lemons that will help preserve the banana flavor at the Twitule Cooperative Group's processing plant. For these farmers, wine production is not just about making a new product; it's a means of survival, resilience, and adaptation to changing climate conditions.
Previously, the farmers cultivated land near the shores of Lake Malawi, but rising water levels due to increased rainfall forced them to relocate to higher, hotter grounds where temperatures can reach 42°C. "At the old farm, we had too much water, and some of the bananas would drown. Here, the heat makes our bananas ripen too fast, causing waste,” Nkhana explains.
The cooperative, composed mainly of women, aims to improve their economic conditions through farming and wine production. They grow bananas in their backyards and process them into wine in a modest compound with a four-room house in Mchenjere village.
The process is straightforward: overripe bananas are peeled, chopped, weighed, and mixed with sugar, yeast, raisins, water, and lemon. The mixture is then left to ferment for several weeks, transforming the banana pulp into a potent, aromatic wine with a 13% alcohol content, similar to grape wine.
“It’s very good quality wine. You have to drink it while seated so you can enjoy the sweet flavor,” says Nkhana. Banana wine may sound unusual to those accustomed to traditional grape wine, but it has been well received by those who try it. The wine ranges in color from pale yellow to rich amber and has a slightly sweet, fruity taste with light lemon and banana notes.
“It’s smooth and light, almost like a dessert wine,” says Paul Kamwendo, a local wine enthusiast who has become a major fan of banana wine in Karonga. “I had no idea one could make wine out of bananas.”
For Nkhana and her colleagues, the secret to good banana wine lies in balancing sweetness and acidity. “Timing is everything,” she says. “You have to know when the bananas are at their best. Too ripe, and the wine becomes too sweet; too green, and it’s too tart.”
The rise of banana wine in Malawi has generated excitement among both producers and consumers. At local markets, bottles of banana wine, priced at $3 (£2.30), have become popular, with vendors eager to showcase their latest creations. “We sell them at markets across Malawi, in the capital Lilongwe and the biggest city Blantyre, and it always sells out,” says Tennyson Gondwe, the chief executive of Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip), a cooperative that has trained the women in wine production to ensure quality and taste.
Nkhana notes that making wine, rather than selling raw bananas that often go to waste, has transformed her life and those of other women in the cooperative. "Some of us have built houses, others have livestock or chickens, and we can now afford decent meals."
The Twitule Cooperative produces between 20 - 50 liters of wine a month and has ambitions to expand. "We want to produce more wine. We want to move from this small production house to a factory," Nkhana says.
The group’s aspirations extend beyond local markets, as Comsip has approached the Malawi Bureau of Standards to seek approval for exporting their product. “People are curious,” Nkhana says with a smile, as she stirs the wine mixture in preparation for fermentation. “They want to know what it tastes like. And when they try it, they’re surprised by how good it is.”
