Tonto, a brew (家酿啤酒) made from bananas, is legendary in Uganda. Folk singers have sung about it, politicians seeking a common touch take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies end at dusk with tonto parties. Its fans are many, ranging from officials in suits to workers in sandals.
But tonto’s production is under threat as cheap bottled beer becomes more attractive to drinkers and as authorities move to restrict the production of what is considered illegal home brews, which have the risk of sometimes deadly contamination (污染). And because tonto production takes place outside official control, authorities are unable to collect revenue from its sale. But farmers have a more urgent concern: Not enough new banana juice cultivars (栽培品种) are being planted to produce the brew.
Ndyanabo, a farmer in the western district of Mbarara whose first experience with tonto was as a little boy in the 1970s, said he has only a few plants left of the cultivars from which the banana juice is obtained. The family now makes six 20-L containers of tonto every week. 0.5 L tonto sells for about 27 cents, compared to 67 cents for the cheapest bottled beer.
While Ndyanabo said his weekly brew has a steady market, he has seen both demand and supply slow in recent years. This is partly because the price of tonto has been largely static over the decades, while the process of making it has become slower and more complicated. “You take a lot of time doing this work. It’s not as easy as someone who cuts green bananas, puts them on a bicycle and sells them for cash immediately,” Ndyanabo said. “Alcohol comes from very far.”
Christine Kyomuhangi, a tonto seller, said she receives two 20-L containers of tonto every day. She acknowledged the threats to her business but smiled, insisting her work is sustainable. She said customers come from all over the city. “Tonto will never get finished,” she said.
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