Banana growers in Karnataka, Maharashtra in red as extreme cold damages crops

Kalaburagi: Banana farmers are facing crop damage due to extreme cold this winter.

Horticulture officials say more than 25% of the crop which is at an early growing stage would be affected as temperature dipped below 12 degree Celsius.

Wholesale merchants say exports will also see a slump due to discoloration of fruits in severe cold.

The same situation prevails in Maharashtra. Karnataka is the third largest producer of banana after Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Maharashtra. Cultivated on an area of 1.08 lakh hectares, Karnataka produced 29.73 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24.

Banana is traditionally grown in Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Mysuru, Hassan and other southern districts. Cavendish and Yalakki varieties are generally grown here.

In Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar and other parts of North Karnataka, bananas are grown in areas with irrigation facilities.

“I have grown Cavendish bananas on three acres by investing Rs 4.5 lakh. I have lost a part of the crops due to heavy rainfall in August last year. Now, I am finding it difficult to get returns on my investment due to foggy and cold conditions”, said Gulappa Mahadevaswamy from Dodda Katuru village in Mysuru taluk.

Mandya wholesale banana merchant Nandish B V attributes the fall in prices to good arrivals from AP.

Kalaburagi horticulture department deputy director Santosh Inamdar says crops on 4,000 hectares in the district were more susceptible to severe cold if there was deficiency of zinc and boron in the soil. He advised farmers to use micronutrients to ensure growth of plants. Farmer Shankar Myakeri from Afzalpur taluk said 30-40% of the crop on his 10-acre farmland would be damaged due to severe cold.

Cavendish banana rates have fallen from Rs 1,800 per quintal to Rs 1,100 in the last four months.

Wholesale merchant and banana exporter Alisab Choudhari said the fruits were getting rejected in the market due to poor quality. They have turned reddish due to extreme cold.

“We have been purchasing bananas from farmers in three states of South India. But the demand has reduced in the international market due to fall in the quality from Karnataka and Maharashtra this year. Farmers in AP are getting Rs 2,600 per quintal as it has red soil, which resists cold weather,” he added.

Farmers have urged the government to purchase bananas at a support price apart from providing proper guidance to them on protecting the crop. They have demanded that a separate board be set up to protect for banana growers.

Horticulture department additional director (fruits) K B Dundi said the damage to banana crops was a common phenomenon in winter.

“The crops are affected in the absence of soil nutrients and it is a matter of two weeks for them to recover once summer starts. Prices have fallen due to lack of demand as this is not festival season. Also, people prefer not to eat the fruit in winter,” he said.