After emerging as the first Indian farming company to export bananas from India, Navsari-based Desai fruits and vegetables (DFV) now plans to bank on ‘organic bananas'.

Considering the huge demand for organic bananas in the overseas countries, DFV has set the ball rolling to grow organic bananas of export quality in Gujarat.

As part of the pilot project, the company has already identified 80 acres of land for carrying out the field trials.

DFV has entered into contract farming agreements with farmers to get 80 acres of land. The company will soon kick off the trials.

"The export potential for bananas grown without using any fertilisers and pesticides is huge in the global markets. We are planning to grow organic bananas for the first time," said Ajit Desai, chairman of Desai Fruits and Vegetables.

After the trial runs, the company will cultivate organic bananas in a big way. The company is mainly into contract farming business and it brought 240 acres of land under banana crop in FY07, which increased to 720 acres in 2007-08.

With thousands of farmers making a beeline to be a part of DFV, the company plans to increase the acreage to 6,500 acres in 2008-09.

However, it will take some time before the company actually starts growing organic bananas on commercial basis.

"It takes a couple of months to make land chemical free. We have to spend great deal of time in cleaning up chemicals from the land to grow organic food. It will atleast take two years for the company to kick off organic bananas on large scale," said Pankaj Khandelwal, CEO, DFV, which apart from bananas also exports mango, pomegranate, grapes and other vegetables.

"Perhaps it will be the first instance of contract farming of organic bananas by any company in Gujarat," he added.

So far, the company has exported 50 banana containers weighing 18 tonnes mainly to middle east. However, all these containers were sent on trial basis.

Recently, the company flagged-off its 51st container of bananas, which the company termed as its first container on commercial basis.

Switzerland-based Contract Farming India AG holds a controlling stake of 84 per cent in the company.

DFV exports fruits to Japan, US, UK and Europe also. The company has also chalked out Rs 80 crore of investment for its future expansion.

The majority of proposed investment would go for infrastructure and research and development (R&D) activities. DFV has also inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state-run Gujarat agro industries corporation (GAIC) to set up infrastructure for export of fruits and vegetables.