THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s called Popoulu. And it’s fatter than the fattest banana you’ve seen. Popoulu- a banana variety from the Pacific- was introduced in the state four years ago. But the jaw-dropping plump fruit is yet to find takers.
“We got it from Hawaii. But our farmers still go for the popular and sure-sell varieties like Palayamkodan and Rasakadali. We’ve managed to introduce Popoulu to a few farmers, though,” said Babu P, Additional Director, Agriculture Department, who heads the Biotechnology and Model Floriculture Centre (BMFC) at Kazhakootam, Thiruvananthapuram. It was this centre which first acquainted Keralites with Popoulu, which in Hawaiian roughly translates as ‘ball-like breadfruit.’
“It’s a chunky variety whose taste is almost similar to our Ethan. The Popoulu banana plant is so similar in looks to the Ethan that we could easily mistake the two during the growth period,” Babu said. A bunch of Popoulu, weighing a hefty 21.65 kg, was one of the big attractions at VAIGA-2016, a five-day international workshop and expo organised by the Agriculture Department which opened here on Thursday. According to Babu, Popoulu, which is shorter than the Ethan or Chingan varieties, is ideal for making chips.
The centre provides farmers with banana seedlings, but majority of the farmers go for the popular and healthy varieties. Kerala has around fifty types of bananas, according to Babu, but Palayamkodan, Ethan and Rasakadali remain popular with farmers. Among the bananas that the BMFC has on display at its stall at VAIGA-2016 is the ‘Udayam,’ a variety isolated by the Banana Research Station, Trichy. The centre also has on display the ‘Kallu Vazha,’ a tall variety whose fruit has considerable medicinal value.