Punjab looks at banana bonanza

The profit margin obviously attracted more farmers.

“More and more farmers followed suit and we formed a Punjab Banana Growers’ Association,” Kuldip added.

The association is expecting to increase the area to 500 acres by 2010-end — that is in the coming two seasons of February and August-September. Banana at present covers more than 250 acres in the state.

With the state consuming bananas worth Rs 600 crore every year — mostly exported from Maharashtra and Gujarat and south India — the Punjab State Farmers’ Commission (PSFC),a government organistaion, is also exploring ways to expand the area under banana cultivation to meet at least half its domestic demand.

Punjab Banana Growers’ Association president Mewa Singh,who is among the first farmers to grow banana in the state,said the members have dedicated nearly 100 acres land to banana cultivation this year.

He added that the farmers of the association have now begun earning more — between Rs 1.43 lakh and Rs two lakh from one acre of the farm.

Growers also say the taste hasn’t been compromised. “The quality of bananas produced here is as good as those that come from outside the state. The only difference is that we use a different technique owing to different weather conditions in this part of the country,” said another farmer,Kuldip Singh,of Sanaur. “The plant is sown in February so as to keep it safe from fog and frost,which adversely affect the fruit ripening,” he added .

Dr B S Chahal,a banana expert and a member of PSFC,said the Commission had earlier planted 67 plots of one acre each for the purpose of demonstration. After getting successful results,they have this year targeted to provide two lakh banana plants for cultivation on an additional 160 acres.

PSFC chairman Dr G S Kalkat said hundreds of farmers have got themselves booked with the Commission,adding that they would engage nearly 25,000 farmers in banana farming in the coming years.

At the moment,PSCF is targeting Moga,Hari Ke Patan to Ropar,Fatehgarh Sahib,Sangrur,Barnala,Ludhiana,parts of Jalandhar,Nawan Shahr,Muktasar and Patiala for banana cultivation.

PSFC has also been providing special technique

to the farmers in accordance with the need of soil. Plants,too,are prepared through tissue culture in various laboratories for farmers.

Numerous retail majors and branded sellers have taken note of the increasing output and tied up with the farmers for direct purchase from their villages even as the state continues to receive the fruit from other states.

The fruit has been included in the National Horticulture Mission and attracts a 50 per cent subsidy for its plants and drip irrigation. “It costs less if we buy it directly from Punjab farmers. This means we earn more profit as we save transportation costs,” said a retail owner in Patiala.

Dr Paramjit Singh,who owns a tissue culture laboratory in Patiala and who supplies prepared banana plants,said the demand for the plant has risen manifold in the past one year.

Meanwhile,the state government had allotted 20 acres of farm to Punjab Agro to grow banana seeds. “The Punjab Agro failed in its experiment,” a senior government official said.

Agriculture development officer Avninder Singh Mann said,“Thankfully,farmers in the state could grow bananas successfully without any help from Punjab Agro.”