CHENNAI: India holds the top position worldwide in banana production, stated Dr R Selvarajan, Director of the ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB).

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the 8th Uzhavar Sangamam 2026, a two-day agricultural exhibition and seminar at VIT University in Vellore.

Highlighting India's agricultural journey since the 1943 Bengal famine, Dr Selvarajan noted that post-Green Revolution food grain production has multiplied.

He revealed India currently exports about 8 lakh tonnes of bananas, generating roughly Rs 4,000 crore revenue, with an average yield of 40 tonnes per hectare. The NRCB has developed nine new banana varieties and plans a Rs 50 lakh training programme for tribal communities in Tirupattur.

Presiding over the event, VIT Chancellor Dr G Viswanathan described India as fundamentally an agricultural nation with the largest cultivable land globally.

While India leads in fruits and vegetables, he stressed the need to boost productivity, noting yields are 30-60% of potential. He emphasised adopting advanced technologies, like Israel, to combat water scarcity.

The Chancellor inaugurated the exhibition featuring 145 stalls, including creative vegetable sculptures. The event concludes on Friday.