Quintal nendran banana price drops to ₹5–₹10/kg in wholesale markets in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Farmers have expressed distress as the price of quintal nendran bananas has dropped sharply to ₹5–₹10/kg in wholesale markets. However, the retail price remains at ₹25 to ₹50/kg.Quintal nendran banana, which is suitable for making chips and pazhampori, is cultivated in more than 12,000 acres across districts such as Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Trichy in Tamil Nadu. Of this, nearly 6,000–8,000 acres are located in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts.
"While the quintal nendran variety fetched prices of up to ₹60/kg last year, the price has now fallen drastically to around ₹7/kg this year," said S Muthukrishnan, a farmer from Bhavanisagar in Erode district. In the irrigated belt stretching from Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district to Bhavanisagar in Erode district, banana varieties such as kathali and sevvazhai were traditionally cultivated. However, over the past year, farmers in the region shifted significantly to the quintal nendran variety. According to Muthukrishnan, about 80% of the cultivation in the region has now shifted to quintal nendran bananas. He attributed this shift to better prices received last year, along with the fact that the crop requires less labour and involves lower production costs compared to other banana varieties. However, the increase in cultivation and higher production has now resulted in a steep fall in prices. Muthukrishnan further noted that the Bhavanisagar irrigated region produces high-quality nendran bananas suitable for chips, with ideal weight and a characteristic green color, making it highly preferred by Kerala traders. In addition, the proximity of the region to Kerala makes transportation easier, which has resulted in traders from Kerala relying heavily on produce from this belt. "Quintal nendran bananas are currently being sold in wholesale markets at ₹5 to ₹10 per kg, and such a sharp price fall has not been witnessed in the past 15 years," said K Chinnaraj, a private banana mandi operator from the Mettupalayam region. He said that the produce is also exported to the Gulf countries including Dubai. However, the decline in banana consumption during the summer season is one of the reasons for the fall in prices. He also pointed out that the arrival of nendran bananas at the mandi has reduced recently, as traders are now directly visiting farms and procuring the produce from farmers. S Karuppaiah, who is engaged in the retail sale of different banana varieties, said that nendran bananas, which were priced at ₹52/kg two months ago, are now being procured in mandis at ₹25 to ₹30/kg. He also added that he sold one kg of nendran banana at 40. Similarly, S Prakash, a chips vendor in Avarampalayam, said that nendran bananas, which were purchased at ₹50/kg two months ago, are being bought at around ₹25/kg over the past four days. He added that the price of nendran bananas has been witnessing fluctuations for the past eight months.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !