Fest to address ‘split’ between banana farmers, traders

The festival is being conducted with an aim of strengthening Tamil Nadu’s global leadership in banana cultivation and the associated supply chain. Some of the highlights of the event include sessions educating farmers on improving their production through scientific cultivation; sessions on pre and post-harvest management for domestic and export market, supply chain management and marketing, panel discussions, buyer–seller meets to make way for direct transactions and better price realisation; exhibition of different varieties of banana, value added products, and bi-products. 

Talking about the event, Ramesh K, Director, Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu State Office tells us, “CII, along with all associated stakeholders has been taking efforts to build a brand equity and associated logistic infrastructure for banana, which has been identified as the nodal crop for the state, owing to the presence of distinct varieties and good quantum of production.”

When contacted, DR TN Balamohan, Dean, Horticultural College and Research University, Periyakulam, tells us, “The main intent of this event is to bring the farmer and the trader on one platform. There is a big disconnect between these two parties as many a time farmers set off on cultivation without consulting with the traders as to which are the varieties that are most in demand, the ones that have a higher shelf life and which of them have local, national and global selling potentials. As cultivation is a unilateral and seasonal decision taken by farmers, they often face heavy losses, being oblivious to the demands of the market.”

Giving us his viewpoint on the room for improvement in the state’s banana cultivation scene, he adds, “One of the glaring inadequacies in our agricultural infrastructure is the absence or shortage of support from allied industries and technology providers. The supply chain is also a huge area of concern. For instance, as soon as the banana is cultivated, the yield is loaded onto trucks and sent off to the markets. We do not have enough packaging houses in Tamil Nadu that can help wash, clean, dry, store and ship the produce in a way that can extend their shelf life.”

Experts have opined that the state government needs to shift its focus from a farmer-centric approach and begin taking all the stakeholders into confidence. This includes everyone employed in the supply chain – from the farmer, to the packers, to the storage and containment experts to the end consumer as well. 

In fact, according to a CII report, the government of Tamil Nadu is keen on setting up a crop-specific mission for banana. Based on a feasibility report on setting up an integrated cold chain for fruits in Tamil Nadu, the government has approved Rs 398 crore for implementing this project tendering 10 post-harvest infrastructure facilities for banana in the state. 

•Around 25 per cent of the global production of bananas comes from India

•Tamil Nadu is No 1 when it comes to the production of bananas in the country, followed by Maharashtra

•The total area under banana cultivation in Tamil Nadu is about 1 lakh hectares 

•These 1 lakh hectares yield approximately 75 to 80 lakh tonnes of production annually

•On an average, one acre of banana cultivated earns a farmer a minimum of Rs 80,000 to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh a year

•There are close to 18 commercial varieties of banana cultivated in Tamil Nadu (polyclonal cultivation) as opposed to the cultivation of one or two varieties in North India (monoclonal) 

•Despite being the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, less than 2 per cent of the produce in India is converted into value added products