The Tooke-Asia Promotional Dinner | Taking Matooke To The World
By Ronnie Mayanja, KAMPALA | On Thursday, 24th of February, I was invited to attend a dinner at the Serena Hotel Conference Center. As I headed to the venue I was intrigued by the creative genius of some of the scientists behind the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development. [PIBID] Finally the matooke farmers lovers alike could get to see a preserved Tooke in powder form without losing the Tooke taste. This also meant that Ugandan farmers can now look beyond country’s borders for new markets for Uganda’s bananas.
The Tooke-Asia dinner as it was called a promotional event organised to flag off Tooke products to the Asian Markets. The event also attracted some of Uganda’s best Chefs in a contest that was called ‘Create and Cook’. This saw the creation of an assortment of dishes using our indigenous matooke flour.
Later that evening during the food tasting ceremony we were treated noddles, pizza, soup, cake and array of other far eastern dishes made out of Tooke flour. The dances too came from the Asian sub-region and the Chief guest was the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda who promised an open market for Ugandan bananas in Japan as long as they met international standards.
For many matooke lovers this innovation of Tooke flour might be a welcomed gesture especially for those living in the diaspora who crave a taste of the real food/emere which is a staple food for many of our people in the East Africa region.
Therefore the Initiative On Banana Industrial Development, that began in 2005 to enhance research around value addition to Matooke, is finally bearing fruit. The Tooke flour is part of the pioneer research work utilising matooke as the principle raw material in the food processing industry and aims at attaining food security for Uganda’s growing population. A whole bunch of Matooke can make 4 kilograms of Tooke flour that is sold at $10 per kilogram, $40 dollars per pack. Uganda produces 8.6 tonnes of banana crop that accounts for about 30 percent of the total world production.
To learn more about this initiative and how to buy the Tooke flour abroad visit [www.tookekatale.com]
Here are some photos from the event:
We cannot display this gallery
About the Author
Wow!!!! Congratulations! as a Ugandan in the diaspora Iam really delighted to hear that we can now have matooke in powder form. This will help us a lot as fresh matooke is extremely expensive and ripens and spoils quickly after all the journey from Africa.
I can’t wait to lay hands on this new product and enjoy. May God bless and prosper all you do to make and maintain this product.
Thanks so much for inventing this method. We hope that this will go far to reach matooke lovers around the world at a low pric and eliminate loss due to decay. Good luck and keep up the good work.
Please l need to get access to the MATOOKE flour in uganda. Where can l buy it