Horticulture Dept distributes Banana seedlings

Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 01 2009: With the main objective of increasing Banana production in the State so as to export the surplus to augment the income of the State as well as of the farmers, Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation has started distributing Banana seedlings among the farmers from today.

The distribution of seedlings of Grand Nine, a type of Banana, under the Technology Mission was held during a function at the horticulture complex of the Department at Mantripukhri today.

Commissioner of Horticulture and Soil Conservation BB Sharma and Director of the Department K Ngachan attended the function as chief guest and president respectively.

District Horticulture Officers of Imphal West, Imphal East and Tamenglong District were also present at the occasion.

Speaking in the function, BB Sharma noted that Banana is one of the most nutritious fruit which has great demand in the market.

Read more:

EU: Spain, France and Portugal uneasy over any EU banana deal

Three European banana producers -- France, Spain and Portugal -- said Friday they would not accept any EU-negotiated agreement that threatened their production.

France produces bananas in its Caribbean territories, Spain in its Canary Islands in the Atlantic and Portugal in the island of Madeira.Spanish Agriculture Minister Elena Espinosa, her French counterpart Michel Barnier and Portuguese secretary of state for agriculture Luis Meideiro Vieria met in Madrid Friday with representatives of the Association of European Banana Producers.

The ministers decided "to continue to work together... so that our sector has the support it needs," Espinosa told a news conference.

Read more:

Coming soon: Mangoes, bananas that last longer

The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, is working to develop transgenic varieties of mangoes and bananas that will take longer than usual to ripen. The aim is to increase the shelf life of these fruits and, thus, cut down on their wastage during transportation.

“India produces 45 million tonnes of fruits every year but 30 to 50 per cent is lost to post-harvest deterioration.

NBRI is researching how to delay fruit ripening and, in the process, produce transgenic varieties of mangoes and bananas with a longer shelf life,” said Dr Aniruddha Sane, one of the four scientists engaged in the research work.

Read more:
Coming soon: Mangoes, bananas that last longer

Shared via AddThis

KE: Kenya: Farmers count losses as disease threatens to wipe out bananas

Banana production has been main source of income to Christopher Okwiri and other farmers in Western Kenya. But the investment faces a bleak future following an outbreak of a disease that is threatening to wipe out the crop.

The attack by Xanthomonas wilt has resulted in drying up of several hectares of young banana plantations, causing farmers to incur heavy losses.“The disease has impacted negatively on our main source of income and food security. Several hectares of banana plantation are likely to be wiped out unless researchers come out with proper management practices on how to protect the plant from the infections,” appeals Mr Okwiri.

His five-acre farm in Teso district has been generating an average of Sh12,000 a month from the banana plantation.A team from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) recently toured areas affected by the disease and took samples for analysis.

Source: nation.co.ke