KANNUR: The banana leaf farming initiative launched by Mangattidam panchayat in Kannur is drawing widespread attention for providing farmers with an additional source of income.
The project which began in October 2023 involves cultivating banana plants specifically for their leaves. The panchayat has been marketing the produce under its own ‘Mangattidam’ brand, supplying banana leaves to customers within and outside the panchayat.
Panchayat authorities and the Krishi Bhavan said the initiative was launched to provide income opportunities for women while promoting the use of banana leaves over disposable plates, helping reduce pollution and keep the panchayat clean.
“The initiative has been successful in generating additional income for farmers through the sale of banana leaves. As part of the project, we distributed free banana saplings to Kudumbashree groups and individual farmers.
The leaves are marketed under the ‘Mangattidam’ brand. Farmers and groups are free to sell the leaves on their own, but they must inform the brand so that a record of the number of leaves harvested and sold can be maintained,” said Santhosh Kumar R, agricultural assistant, Mangattidam.
As part of the initiative, five women from Kudumbashree received special training in the collection, processing, and marketing of banana leaves. The trained members will collect the leaves from farms, clean and pack them, and distribute them to customers under the ‘Mangattidam’ brand.
Banana leaves can be harvested as early as two months after planting, allowing farmers to earn income even before the banana bunches are ready for harvest.
Banana leaves are currently sold in the market for Rs 2 to Rs 5 each. While the sale of a banana bunch fetches around Rs 80, the combined income from the bunch and the leaves is expected to exceed Rs 350 per plant in a month, providing farmers with an significant additional source of revenue.
“The panchayat has been allocating Rs 2 lakh for the project in its annual plan every year. In the first phase, 100 farmer groups have been brought under the initiative and organised into groups of five members each to cultivate banana plants across 35 acres of private and public land.
As the demand for banana leaves continues to grow, we are planning to launch the second phase of the project. We are also providing banana saplings free of cost to farmers,” said K Sandhyalakshmi, Mangattidam panchayat president.
