ગુજરાતી
English
Dilip Patel, 19 April 2022
The ‘Happy Banana’ train has started. In Gujarat, neither Bharuch nor Anand have benefited from this. This special train with referrer container sent bananas for 900 km from Anantapur to JNPT, Mumbai.
Andhra Pradesh launched the country’s first ‘fruit train’ in 2020. 980 metric tonnes of locally grown bananas arrived at Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port by 150 trucks from Tadipatri Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh. The fruits will be exported to Iran from the port.
This is the first time in India that the train has dispatched the first consignment of 890 tonnes of bananas in 43 refrigerated containers. 500 farmers cultivated banana in more than 1800 hectares of land.
It would need to be sent more than 900 km away,” Mr. Satyanarayana said.
Anantapur and Cuddapah districts are expected to send 10,000 metric tonnes of fruits. The government was targeting to export 30,000 metric tonnes of fruits from across Andhra Pradesh.
In Gujarat
In 2007, Gujarat exported 3,000 tonnes of bananas abroad. In 2019, this increased to barely 10,000 metric tonnes of banana exports. However, according to experts, the export opportunity for Gujarat is 2 lakh tonnes. From 5 October to 11 October 2020, 20.79 metric tonnes of bananas have been exported from Rajpipla Banana Packhouse, Gujarat.
Highest Banana Growing Village in India
Panetha village in Bharuch and 4 adjoining villages have the highest productivity in the country. Dhirendrabhai Desai 9428687219 He cultivates banana thrice in 26 months by cultivating 22 acres of land. Gives higher yield than tissue culture technique and drip irrigation. Filipino technology is capable of producing three crops in two years. Production has increased by 125% in 10 years. The export of these fruits to Arab countries has increased. There are small farms, there are small and medium farmers. Hence large scale export is not possible. Quality, shortening, grading and treatment cannot be maintained in small farms. Companies are not ready to take up farming on lease.
Banana exporter Ajit Desai started exporting bananas from Bharuch in 2007-8. 15 years ago 15 tonnes of bananas per hectare used to ripen but now we are ripening 85 to 90 tonnes of bananas.
It is the only village in India where bananas are grown five times. One banana adds up to three times that of export quality bananas.
Gujarat’s largest export to India
In 2020, Gujarat was the largest exporter of bananas in the country.
India contributes 26 percent of the world’s banana production. 29.72 million tonnes in 2019 and 31 million tonnes in 2020.
Gujarat ranks first in the country in production. It is followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
The global trade of bananas is 10 thousand million US dollars. India leads in banana production, followed by China, Philippines, Ecuador, Brazil and Indonesia.
India accounts for 0.14 percent of the world’s total banana exports. The largest exporters of bananas are Ecuador, Philippines, Guatemala, Costa Rica.
India exports 39% to UAE, 13% to Saudi Arabia, 8% to Oman, 6% to Kuwait and 17% to Nepal.
Gujarat can export well.
Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced on February 8, 2018 that Gujarat ranks first in the country with 42 lakh tonnes of banana production. In 2018-19, 46 lakh tonnes of bananas were grown in 70 thousand hectares. However, exports of bananas from 42 ports in Gujarat are not up to the mark. As per 2015 prices, bananas were ripe in India for Rs 25,000-30,000 crore and in Gujarat at 10% or Rs 3,000 crore.
A company from Gujarat was delivering bananas to the mega stores of Gujarat’s banana retail chain Walmart.
Bharuch district has been at the forefront of banana production over the years.
There is a plan to export all the bananas in agreement with 200 farmers of Khotli village of Kaprada.
Gujarat has the largest number of bananas in the country
In the year 2008-09, farmers produced 35.72 lakh tonnes of bananas, which increased to 46 lakh tonnes in 10 years in 2018-19. This is a direct increase of 1 million tonnes. About 65.63 tonnes of bananas are harvested per hectare.
Banana orchards
Bananas were grown in 61 thousand hectares in 2008, which has increased to 70 thousand hectares after 10 years in 2018-19. There are 8.58 lakh hectares of banana orchards in India.
area under banana cultivation
In 2018-19, 7 districts in Narmada, Bharuch, Anand, Surat, Vadodara, Dahod and Chhota Udaipur districts had a total of 38 lakh tonnes of bananas. 90% of bananas are grown in these 7 districts.
About 43.4343 lakh tonnes of bananas are grown in Saurashtra and 9 lakh tonnes in Bharuch. 8 lakh tonnes of bananas are grown in Anand, 6 lakh tonnes in Surat and Narmada.
However, the banana train has not been started from Gujarat. They have done a lot of injustice to the farmers of Gujarat.
