Tiruchy NRCB releases two vitamin-rich, high-yielding varieties

TIRUCHY: National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Tiruchy released two new premium-quality varieties, Kaveri Thangam and Kaveri Nadan, during its foundation day celebrations on Friday.

The high-yield, vitamin-rich varieties with a unique aroma were distributed to as many as 126 farmers from Tamil Nadu and other major banana-growing states.

In the foundation day and Kisan mela events held at ICAR-NRCB in Tiruchy, the Director of the institution, R Selvarajan, said that the institute has played a remarkable role in the growth of banana production, recording an increase of 38.32 million tonnes per year over the previous production of 11 million tonnes. The banana has been positioned as one of the most important fruit crops in the country with a remarkable export position, he noted.

He stated that the centre has developed eight climate-resilient banana varieties over the years through sustained and focused research efforts. “During the Pongal season, we released Kaveri Poovan banana, a high-yielding variety resilient to banana streak disease and Fusarium wilt. The Kaveri and more than 1 lakh tissue culture plants of the variety were produced and supplied to the farmers through the State Variety Release Committee," he said.

“Kaveri Thangam is rich in provitamin A, which requires only five fruits to meet the recommended dietary allowance of Vitamin A for an adult, while Kaveri Nadan is an updated variety of the Pacha Nadan type and the variety delivers nearly double the yield," Selvarajan said.

“Both the new varieties have already been distributed to as many as 126 farmers across the country, particularly in Tamil Nadu and other major banana-producing states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka," the Director said.

Meanwhile, Selvarajan said that an NRCB–APEDA team had inspected facilities in Jalgaon for exporting bananas to Russia, while opportunities will also be explored to export bananas from Tamil Nadu to Russia through Cochin Port.

In a major development in mechanisation, the centre has been in the process of developing a central-core stem juice extraction machine, similar to a sugarcane juice extraction machine. This technology could create entrepreneurial opportunities for self-help groups and street vendors by enabling them to extract and sell banana stem juice, Selvarajan added.