Farmers find banana cultivation an attractive prospect due to it being grown all year round, as well as the price difference in local and international markets. Bananas are cultivated on almost 90,000 acres of land in the country, while the produce on one acre can bring around Rs0.4 million – the highest among fruits grown in the country.
Banana growers, approached by The Express Tribune, said that the increasing market value of bananas have made it an attractive crop. They underlined that in coming days, banana marketing will pick up pace and exports to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics will rise, because of price differences between domestic and foreign markets.
However, agricultural researchers see loopholes in the sector due to insufficient research. They explained that current banana production is based on traditional methods, which result in the output falling short of international quality standards.
Asim Agricultural Farm Technical Manager Hadi Baksh Leghari said that Pakistan was lagging in average production of bananas per hectare, when compared with other Asian countries. “Average production of bananas in Asian countries is 18.3 tons per hectare, while it is just 4.3 tons in Pakistan,” he said. Leghari urged the government and the private sector to come up with a plan to increase cultivation. He added that Pakistan was growing only three types of bananas, compared with South American countries which have developed several varieties.
“The government should take care of this sector and support farmers in enhancing cultivation based on tissue culture (virus-free small plant cultivation), providing better water supply and curtailing illegal trade in order to bring higher revenues to the national exchequer,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2011.
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