PM POSHAN scheme: Punjab farmers vie for ‘locally grown’ kinnow, carrot in midday meal but banana way healthier to fight malnutrition, say experts

However, taking the demand of farmers ahead, the Congress MLA from Abohar, Sandeep Jakhar, has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urging him to consider including locally grown fruits/vegetables such as kinnow, carrots in midday meal menu so that farmers are also benefitted. The Abohar constituency in border district of Fazilka is the hub of kinnow production in Punjab.

The Punjab education department has ordered that from January to March this year, each student will be given a banana with their meals every Monday, for which teachers will be issued fund of Rs 5 per banana.

Among the first who advocated inclusion of “locally grown carrots” instead of bananas “which are imported from other states” was Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman, Krishak Samaj and former chairman, Punjab State Farmers Commission. In a post on X, he wrote: “In Punjab instead of providing bananas imported from different states, the state should provide carrots grown in Punjab as part of mid-day meal scheme. This is governance issue & happens when departments work in silos. Horticulture department not consulted by education department before ordering procurement. Makes more sense economically: 1 banana @ Rs 5 vs 1 kg of carrots @ Rs 8 (1 kg carrots = 8 good carrots). Abohar being a hub of carrot production would benefit…”

Ajay Vir’s cousin and Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar said that he has written a letter to CM Mann suggesting that “government should also provide local crops/fruits to the children”.

“In our constituency Abohar, there is abundant production of kinnow, carrot etc. Local crops from different region can be given to children in schools based on their nutritional value. Government procurement of local produce will not only benefit the children but also the farmers..,” reads MLA Jakhar’s letter to CM Mann. Farm union leader Balbir Singh Rajewal, president, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), in a statement, also said that “decision of the government to provide a fruit in midday meal was highly appreciable” but “instead it should procure locally grown kinnows so that farmers are also benefitted”.

But even as a debate has been started over the matter by farmers and agriculture lobby in the state, the nutritional value of bananas is way higher and beneficial for children, according to food nutrition experts.

Dr Kiran Grover, head, food and nutrition department, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said that the basic aim of the midday meal scheme is to fight malnutrition among children and bananas were an apt choice for it. “Bananas provide instant energy as they are rich in carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and even vitamin-C. Kinnow is a citrus fruit which is loaded with vitamin-C but bananas are always a better option for growing children who need energy. Bananas are a safe food, easy to digest and also help in strengthening memory and other brain-related activities. They also help in building physical strength. Children in government schools mostly suffer from malnutrition and bananas can be a great diet for such kids,” said Dr Grover.

Varinder Singh Brar, general manager, Punjab mid-day meal, said that the decision to include bananas was taken only after a proper audit was conducted by teams from Panjab University, Chandigarh, across 238 schools in 10 districts of Punjab. “Children were surveyed who expressed wish to either eat mango or banana. Mango is a seasonal fruit so it was decided to include bananas. It is only after taking suggestions from children, their parents, teachers and school management committees (SMCs) that this decision has been taken. We have paid Rs 16 lakh to Panjab University (PU) for this audit. Kinnow might be locally grown but we had to include what children would eat happily and is equally healthy.”