Jalgaon Mahabanana Co-op thinks big, first step Gulf

“Over the last couple of years, we have noticed that importers are slowly catching on to our product. We feel now is the right time to unleash a marketing strategy that will improve the brand position of Mahabanana,” explains Mahindra Devre, manager of Mahabanana.

Packaging to meet a 20-tonne demand from Dubai, the Mahabanana farmers are trying to reinvent themselves. The pilot project hopes to attract fresh buyers and get the farmers a better price.

In Mahabanana’s Chinawal unit, the fruit is being carefully weighed, processed and made ready for its long journey. Emphasis is being laid on plucking the banana from the farms at the right time. The fruit is then gently washed in alum before being given a final rinse in fresh water. It is then put out to dry.

Attractive new boxes then await their produce. Each box packs in 13 kgs of the fruit, which is carefully layered with plastic and bio-seals. For each container (containing 20 odd tonnes) consignment, Mahabanana spends almost Rs 3.50 lakh and three days in packing.

Under guidelines from the Maharashtra Agricultural Marketing Board, the banana growers’ cooperative is also working with farmers to ensure the produce meets global standards attracts a good price.

Normally, banana prices in the domestic market range between Rs 250-350 per quintal. International prices last year averaged around 18 dirhams per 13 kg. And at Mahabanana they believe that this figure can be further pushed up.

While the demand for bananas is increasing in the international market, Mahabanana is trying to reach out to more growers and encourage them to follow better agricultural practices. “We are in the process of identifying farmers who have a good reputation and healthy produce,” says Devre. “And as an incentive we are giving them Rs 50 per quintal of good banana as a bonus.”

Though the export venture has not yet sent the cash registers ringing, optimistic growers believe it is just a matter of time before their “uniquely tasty” banana makes its place on international fruit mart shelves.