VISAKHAPATNAM:
Andhra Pradesh stands third in banana cultivation in the country behind Tamil Nadu and Gujarat for the 2016-17 fiscal. The state registered a growth of nearly 14.2 per cent with 40.83 lakh metric tonnes of banana being produced during 2016-17 as against 35.70 lakh metric tonne in 2015-16, according to data provided by
Union
minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare Parshottam Rupala in the Lok Sabha recently.
While AP produced 40.83 lakh metric tonnes in 2016-17, Tamil Nadu had registered 43.22 lakh tonnes and Gujarat followed in the second place with 41.89 lakh metric tonnes. Maharashtra, which was ahead of AP until 2014-15, has witnessed a decline producing only 35.29 lakh tonnes in 2016-17. Horticulture department experts said the Rayalaseema areas of Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool are among the major areas for banana cultivation along with the East and Godavari districts.
A senior horticulture department official said, “We have been giving the highest priority to banana cultivation and the major cultivation is from the Rayalaseema areas. Ever since the tissue culture was started, a large number of farmers have opted for banana cultivation.”
The official said, “Apart from providing marketing facility for the banana grown in the region, we have also signed MoUs with companies to ensure that the crop can also be exported in the coming days. This will give farmers a great benefit to not only get a good price for their crops locally, but also they can earn from exports.”
Another official said, “The yield is good for banana cultivation under tissue culture and many of the farmers are getting nearly 65 tonnes per hectare. It takes about 11 months for harvesting the crop. A lot of farmers have opted for drip irrigation, which is also one of the reasons for its success in the Rayalaseema area.”