Madurai :

Banana farmers in Theni district have produced a record 120 tonnes of bananas per hectare breaking national record, claimed a horticulture department official.

Several farms in Kamayakoundanpatti in Theni district yielded 120 tonnes of banana per hectare, said S Murugan, deputy director of horticulture department at Theni. However, the department couldn’t document the feat on time for a mention in record books. The harvest should have been calculated by the horticulture and statistics departments, he said.

Theni production is a record by all means as Maharashtra with its alternating cold and hot climates could not have exceeded 75 tonnes per hectare, Murugan said.

The official cited the case of one farmer Gurunathan and his son Loganathan who took up banana cultivation using tissue culture saplings. They relied on drip irrigation and reaped over 120 tonnes per hectare. “These farmers also provided nutrients and fertilizers in measured amounts,” Murugan revealed, adding Gurunathan has completed about 70% of the harvest. “The yield may go up to 150 tonnes per hectare at the end,” he said.

Theni district, which has a conducive climate for banana cultivation, has 8,000 hectares under the crop. A green banana variety known as Grand Naine is cultivated by many farmers here. About 90 tonnes is the average production at many farms.

It is Maharashtra that holds the record for the highest production per hectare of 68 tonnes. The horticulture department is planning to organise a competition for the banana farmers after January, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Tonnes / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / January 05th, 2014