No bumper boom as dwindling banana prices spell doom in Tamil Nadu Delta

TIRUCHY: There has been a bumper banana harvest across the Delta region. Instead of the usual cheer, the farmers are sitting with fingers crossed due to the dwindling prices, which hardly meet the cost of cultivation.

In addition, the export of their produce has been affected due to the unrest in East Asia and compounded by the decline in local consumption.

The banana cultivators have appealed to the government to fix a minimum support price for bananas, distribute it in the noon meal scheme and also sought government-controlled cold storage in every district.

India produces 370 million MT horticulture products, in which bananas constitute 30 per cent, while Tamil Nadu produces 39.86 lakh MT annually in an area covering 97,644 ha (2.4 lakh acres), making it one of the major banana-producing states of India.

Among the districts in Tamil Nadu, Tiruchy, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Karur and Kanniyakumari contribute a major portion with an average yield of 40 to 60 tonnes per hectare based on the irrigation and soil conditions.

Meanwhile, the Delta region is one of the major producers of nendran, yelakki, monthan and poovan varieties, but the farmers claimed that the prices have declined during the past few months. In the month of April, it touched the nadir. The prices have touched as low as Rs 6 to 10 per kg for Poovan, and Yelakki is being sold between Rs 20 and 40 per kg, while Nendran is fetching only Rs 10 to 20 per kg.

“Once, bananas fetched good prices, and there was also high demand in the market. We could get a reasonable price for the fruits in local markets as well as outside. The major market for Tiruchy farmers is Coimbatore. The agents who came here earlier and made bulk purchases ask us now to transport the produce to Coimbatore. As a reult we are also forced to meet the transport expenses, and so, the profit has come down drastically. We hardly get Rs 1 per bunch profit now,” fumed R Sylendran, a banana farmer from Kambarasampettai in Tiruchy.

Sylendran said that he has been cultivating three varieties of banana – Yelakki, Monthan and Nendran in an area of three acres and has spent up to Rs 1 lakh per acre until the harvest, but the returns are too low compared to the production cost.

“I am in a dilemma whether to quit banana cultivation and opt for alternate horticulture crops,” said Sylendran.

Echoing the same, M Mathiazhagan, Thanjavur District President of Banana Farmers Association, said that due to poor irrigation and soaring temperatures, the banana crops have started to be damaged.

“At the same time, the consumption has declined, and so the farmers from across Thanjavur have been hesitating to cut the bunches to avoid the wages, and so in several places, the banana bunches are left to ripen in the tree itself,” he said.

He suggested that proper cold storage exclusively for horticulture crops, particularly bananas, should be established in each district.

“There are several private cold storages available for rent, but their conditions and costs are higher than any farmer can bear,” he said. He also appealed to the state government to include bananas in the noon meal, and since it is very nutritious, the government could consider it.

Meanwhile, SA Sukumaran, vice president of the National Banana Growers Federation, said the yield is very good as the irrigation in most of the places was proper and, in most places, where the farmers met river water shortage, they used the groundwater this time. This supported a good harvest, but the pricing has declined month by month.

“For instance, in January, Yelakki sold at Rs 55 per kg, while it declined to Rs 50 in February and Rs 40 in March, but in April, it went down to Rs 15 per kg. There are many factors, including declines in local consumption and export issues due to the unrest situation in the Middle East,” Sukumaran said.

Sukumaran appealed to the government to fix a minimum support price and a proper marketing mechanism, and prompt training for farmers in banana value-added products and marketing them.

FACT FILE

97,644 hectares (2.4 lakh acres) is the total cultivation area in Tamil Nadu

Major producers: Tiruchy, Karur, Erode, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore and Kanniyakumari

Top varieties: Nendran, Yelakki, Poovan, Rasthali, Karpooravalli and Neipoovan

Total production: 39.86 lakh MT

DELTA’S SHARE

District Production (in MT) State rank

Ariyalur 7,128 34

Karur 1,04,331 19

Nagapattinam 27,345 24

Mayiladuthurai 11, 240 28

Perambalur 9,948 33

Pudukkottai 1,37,473 9

Thanjavur 1,92,416 7

Tiruvarur 16,043 30

Tiruchy 3,15,093 3