The surprising fact is that the farmers, who have taken up the trial plantation work in the district, have earned a clean profit of Rs 1.70 lakh per hectare. And this has enthused the farmers to take up the banana plantation on a large-scale in whole of the State.

The state agriculture department is encouraging farmers to take up the banana plantation and in the beginning, seeds have been arranged to be given ``free of cost''. The tropical climate in some districts of the state is highly suitable, inform senior officers. Demonstration farms have been earmarked for the purpose by the department.

The variety most suited for the regionis known as dwarf Cavendish, which is based on tissue-culture. On this variety, the Indo-American Hybrid Seeds have done lot of research and some more improvements are likely to be made to further boost the yield.

According to Purshottam Agarwal, director of agriculture, who visited the Bangalore-based company, the seeds supplied were of high valuation. The department was in close touch with the company so that more fruit cultivation could be done in Rajasthan, where the climate conditions were suitable.

Company experts have visited the demonstration farms in the Banswara district to guide the farmers in the right usage of the seeds. The tropical climate of the district had made experts believe that banana could be grown in large quantities in the state.

The experts have told the farmers that in a hectare of land, no less than 889 plants could be grown. What was important was the proper spacing of the plants and use of the right type of fertilisers.

After the success in Banswara, a large number offarmers in the Kotah region have taken up the banana cultivation. This year, the plantation was done in August and the experts are confident that the crop could be taken up sometime in September next year.

India is an important producer of banana, as it stands second in the world in terms of production. It is planted in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal etc. And now, Rajasthan will also make its mark.

Curiously, Rajasthan is getting all the banana consumed in the state from Maharashtra, and the fruit is available throughout the year. In the retail market, banana is sold at a price ranging from Rs 8 to Rs 10 per kg.It is worth noting that banana belongs to the family Musaceae and is one of the oldest fruits known to mankind.

Its antiquity can be traced back to the garden of Paradise where Eve was said to have used its leaves to cover her modesty. The fruit is also known as the``apple of paradise'' and Eastern Malaysia is believed to be the centre ofits origin. Asia accounts for about 41 per cent of the world's production (of banana).

Banana is the cheapest and rich source of energy in the forms of sugar and starch. It contains almost all essential nutrients and used in several medicines.

For ripening the fruit, some more detailed research work is required to be done. Artificial ripening, which varies from state to state, by exposing the fruit to smoke and warmth in a closed chamber, is considered not healthy. The use of calcium carbide to hasten the ripening process is also considered harmful. Its use is still common, even though the government has prohibited its application.

New marketing strategies are being considered so as to enable the producers to get a better price. Currently, the producers are not given sufficient credit, with the result that they are not in a position to market their production. Contractors enter price paid to the producers is very low.Aggarwal stresses the need to make credit available at cheap interest rates inRajasthan, so that middle men are kept at a distance. The department is talking to the banks to provide the needed funds to the new crop in Rajasthan.

The department is also taking care to process banana as the ``value-addition'' could attract more farmers take up the crop. It could be processed into banana chips, banana gifs, banana pulp, banana juice, banana concentrate,banana powder, banana fruit bar, alcohol etc.