VIJAYAWADA: A multi-crore banana cluster project is coming up at Pulivendula in Kadapa district, which will benefit banana farmers. Banana is cultivated extensively in Kadapa and Anantapur districts. The banana varieties cultivated in Pulivendula are in demand in domestic and foreign markets.
The Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society is the implementing authority of the Pulivendula Banana Processing Cluster Project under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) of the Ministry of MSME.
The National Institute for Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (Ni-msme) is the nodal agency, while SIID (Society for Innovation and Incubation Development) is the technical agency. Pulivendula Horticulture Farmers Producer Company Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), has been formed with 700 farmers.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official of AP Food Processing Society said, “The main objective of the project is utilising the raw material of banana plant end-to-end for commercialisation to enhance the income of farmers.”
The total project cost is Rs 4.82 crore and of which the nodal agency is providing Rs 3.61 crore, while the State government is contributing Rs 32.24 lakh as its share. However, it will also bear the additional cost of Rs 10.46 lakh.
Pulivendula Area Development Authority (PADA), which is also a stakeholder in the project, is contributing Rs 79 lakh. The physical infrastructure of the cluster is almost ready and training for employees on transferred technologies from the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) has been completed.
The value-added products that will come out of the cluster include banana powder, banana stem juice, sheath cups, sheath plates, banana fibre and honey-dipped banana slices. The machinery being installed in the cluster has the capacity to produce 13,500 kg of honey-dipped banana slices, 6,075 kg of banana powder, 27,000 litres of banana stem juice, 56,250 stem sheath cups and 25,000 stem sheath plates.
Enterprising farmers of Pulivendula have adopted the latest technologies like tissue culture and drip irrigation in cultivating banana crops. The average investment per acre is Rs 1.3 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh and the returns on banana crops are good. Normally, January to May is considered a banana season. Even in unseason, a tonne of banana is priced at Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 in the local market. The price of bananas had gone up from Rs 17,000 to Rs 19,000 per tonne in July and August this year.
Generally, traders directly purchase bananas from farmers. The reason for the high demand for Pulivendula banana is its long shelf-life compared to other varieties. Pulivendula banana is exported to Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states.