Punjab to raise banana acreage

Banana, an unconventional crop in Punjab, appears to have caught the fancy of local farmers because of rich returns and the state has proposed to expand the fruit cultivation from 50 acres to 100 acres by the year end.

"With the kind of returns this crop gives, the area under banana cultivation will go up to 100 acres of land this year," said P S Rangi, an economist with Punjab State Farmers' Commission, a state-owned body to promote sustainable agriculture.

The Commission has plans to expand banana cultivation to Jagraon and Morinda in the state.

According to the Commission, farmers can earn Rs 80,000 a acre in the first year of sowing, Rs 1 lakh in the second year and Rs 80,000 in the third year of the crop. The cost of production varies between Rs 30,000-35000 a acre, including fertiliser cost, he said.

Moreover, market for the fruit is readily available in the state itself as Punjab alone consumes banana worth Rs 500 crore an annum, said Rangi.

"Farmers who are currently growing banana have found instant buyers in commission agents who buy their entire crops," he said.

To promote the crop in the state, the Commission has also written to Punjab Mandi Board to set up three ripening centres under horticulture mission in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala. Banana saplings would be procured from Gujarat, Rangi said, adding that the Commission has asked Punjab Agricultural University to initiate research into developing tissue culture for the crop.