Bidar farmers to get help from Tiruchi scientists in growing banana

Scientists from the National Research Centre for Banana in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, will help farmers in Bidar and Kalaburagi in cultivating banana. They will work through the Bidar-based College of Horticulture.

Resource persons will train farmers in cultivation methods, protection of crops from pests and insects, post-harvest technologies and provide seedlings and other inputs. The farmers will also be exposed to the market for fresh fruits and fruit-based products.

The National Research Centre for Banana will organise demonstrations in the fields of progressive farmers and organise lectures on the College of Horticulture premises here.

As a first step towards this long-time association, a team, led by the centre director B. Padmanabhan, visited the College of Horticulture recently. They interacted with farmers, teachers and students in the college. They inspected facilities such as the post-harvest laboratory, the library, and the farms and green houses on the college premises.

V. Kumar, a scientist, said that Bidar’s climate was apt for horticulture crops and encouraged farmers to try various types of bananas. It is best to start cultivation in a small area and increase it gradually, he said. He asked farmers to study the market and consult experts before taking up any new crop.

R. Thangavelum, another scientist, said that the market for the Kamalapur red banana would grow further as consumers were slowly realising its health benefits.

Dr. Padmanabhan pointed out that one of the mandates of the centre was to train farmers in advanced farming methods and to introduce the crop to non-traditional areas. He said that the geology and climate of Bidar and Kalaburagi were well suited for the crop.

Temperatures ranging from 25-35 degrees Celsius are optimal for banana. Wind speeds below 40 kmph will protect the crops from falling, he said. “This is just the beginning, we will keep coming,” he said.

Dr. Padmanabhan said that Bhagwant Khuba, MP, initiated this process by writing to the ICAR and the banana research institute. “The MP wanted us to inspect the area to see if banana could be grown here and to train farmers, if possible,” he said. V. Kumar and K.J. Jayabhaskaran were the other members of the team.

Suraj Patil, a farmer from Kamalapur, asked farmers to pick banana over sugarcane. “This has a ready-made market, has assured yields and frees you from the clutches of the sugar factories,” he said.

S.S. Baragimath, Deputy Director of Horticulture Department, said that banana farms added up to 2,000 hectares in Bidar district. This can be increased gradually once farmers realise the benefits, he said.

He pointed out that farmers could double their cultivable area by opting for drip irrigation, and increase productivity by 20-30 per cent. He said that banana needed 15-20 litres of water per day per plant that was slightly higher than sugarcane. He said that bananas had a large market potential as they could be sold anywhere.

College of Horticulture scientists N. Srinivas and Vijalakshmi P. were present.

Newsletter

Price of goats has gone up due to lack of supply in Kannivadi goat market

As farmers are not keen to sell the goats at the Kannivadi goat market, the arrival of goats has come down for the last...

Tomato prices fall sharply in Udumalpet - produce indiscriminately thrown on the road

Tomato prices were sold at Rs 200 per kg a few months ago. Now that the price of tomatoes has fallen drastically due to...

Tomatoes sold at Rs 6 per kg in Palladam - Farmers put veil on their heads and express anguish

Farmers in Tirupur district are suffering as tomatoes were procured at just Rs 6 per kg at the Palladam uzhavar santhai....

TNAU's Dept. of Plant Pathology hosts one-day training on 'Spawn Production and Mushroom Cultivation' in Coimbatore

Over a 100 beneficiaries from Kongunadu Arts and Science College in Coimbatore participated in the training which was pr...

Coimbatore TNAU observes Parthenium Awareness Week

Dr.M.K.Kalarani, Director (Crop Management), TNAU, Coimbatore has inaugurated the Parthenium awareness campaign at TNAU...

TNAU conducts Training on Preparation of instant Foods

Two days training on “Preparation of instant Foods” will be held at Centre for Post Harvest Technology, Agricultural...