G-9 iron-rich banana variety

There has been growing demand for Grand Naine banana (G-9 variety) in foreign countries. The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) has taken up research on developing a genetically modified banana variety rich in iron content. A. P. Karuppiah, state president of the Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation, had brought the variety from his native farm in Theni district. He said the monthly export from Theni stood at 1,500 tonnes and it was widely exported to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Its color and prolonged shelf-life has been a major reason for attraction. The branch weighing 86 kg had 236 bananas, each measuring 27 cm long. He said, scientific cultivation, adaoptation of drip irrigation and proper fruit care would fetch a profit of at least Rs. 2 lakh an acre. He added, efforts were on to increase the shelf-life for which research was on by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Canadian University.

Source: NRCB, Podhavur village, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, 2015.

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