A stakeholders' meeting on 'Strengthening Banana Value Chain and Export Promotion' was held at the ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Trichy on Monday, with experts addressing ways to enhance India's banana industry through innovation, certification, and market development.
Chief guest Pawan Kumar Singh, director of IIM Trichy, commended NRCB's contributions at the global level. He emphasised the importance of understanding roles within the banana value chain and adopting Global-GAP standards to access wider export opportunities.
R Selvarajan, director of ICAR-NRCB, pointed to the potential of India's diverse GI-tagged banana varieties in addition to the widely grown Grand Naine. He cited examples of red banana exports to Europe and highlighted the need for value addition through product development to increase farmer income and strengthen India's position in global trade.
C Vanniarajan, dean of Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College & Research Institute in Trichy, discussed the importance of developing banana varieties suited for challenging soils.
K Mahendran from TNAU, Coimbatore, stressed consumer-focused value chains, underlining the role of certification and branding.
Dr B. Punnam Kumar, Joint Director General of Foreign Trade in Chennai, outlined banana export procedures, highlighting that obtaining an importer-exporter code (IEC) is a straightforward requirement.
Panel discussions examined ways to increase India's share in global banana exports. Recommendations included the establishment of quick-freezing facilities, the introduction of a single-window system to simplify export processes, and support for the banana fibre industry as part of a circular economy.
Around 150 participants attended the event, including farmers, traders, exporters, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders from Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, and Coimbatore districts.
Source: Times of India