The Hindu Business Line : EU goes bananas over `grandnaine'

THE Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), the successor organisation of the European Union-funded Kerala Horticulture Development Programme (KHDP), is in the process of entering the European Union markets with "grandnaine" variety of banana soon.

Buyers from the UK had contacted the council expressing their interest to buy 300 tonnes a week of this banana variety if it could supply as per the quality specifications of the European Union.

A team from the UK had visited the council and held discussions. An agreement was expected to be reached soon, Mr Ashok Kumar Thekkan, Chief Executive Officer, VFPCK, told Business Line. He said already on experimental basis, plantations had been raised in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts in Kerala. Besides, 50 acres of suitable land had been identified in the State's Wayanad district for planting grandnaine variety exclusively for export. The current yield per plant would be in the range of 40-60 kg and in a hectare 2,500 seedlings could be planted.

The total investment involved would be around Rs 2.5 lakh a hectare and at the current procurement price of Rs 6 a kg, the grower would get around Rs 6 lakhs from a hectare, he said.

The council, he said, had secured the Import Export Code (IEC) from the Union Commerce Ministry. It had also been registered with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), which would assist in packaging of the products. Besides, it had y obtained the necessary certification for exporting to European Union, he said.

The council has been exporting vegetables and fruits, mainly mango and pineapple, to the Gulf countries. It has exported 10 tonnes of mangoes and 20 tonnes of vegetables this year through different agencies.

He said, henceforth, the council would be exporting directly to the prospective buyers in the foreign markets.

It was also planning to launch its products such as green banana chips, both plain and jaggery coated, for the first time in the Gulf markets during the ensuing Onam season, he said.

The VFPCK has been set with a capital base of Rs one crore and 50 per cent of it is subscribed by the farmers, while 30 per cent by the State Government and the rest by the five nationalised banks and other scientific institutions.

Vegetables and fruits are produced by farmers' self-help groups (SHGs) with the technical support of the council and financial assistance by banks.

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