Bananas

Banana is the second most important fruit crop in India. It's available year-round, affordable, and has a variety of tastes, nutritive and medicinal values. In India, the average yield of bananas is 37 kg, with a potential to yield up to 45 kg which is 40% higher than local Karpuravalli. The plants are comparatively dwarf in stature with a duration of 15-16 months. It has a cylindrical bunch with 13-15 hands and 15 - 20 fruits per hand. Fruits are elongated with 14 -16 cm in length and 10-13 cm in circumference. Around 20 cultivars are grown in India. These include Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Monthan, Poovan, Nendran, Red banana, Nyali, Safed Velchi, Basarai, Ardhapuri, Rasthali, Karpurvalli, Karthali and Grandnaine. Grandnaine is gaining popularity due to its tolerance to biotic stresses and good quality bunches. India leads the world in banana production with an annual output of about 14.2 million tones. The major banana producing states are Maharashtra (which ranks first in Banana production), Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Telangana.