A special train comprising 42 air-conditioned containers will carry 490 tonnes of bananas grown in Tadipatri region of Anantapur district to Mumbai, from where they will be exported to Iran by Desai Fruits Venture under the brand name ‘Happy Banana’.
The firm has been working with local farmers for the past several months and has been exporting bananas to domestic destinations too along with other small operators. The 650-m rake will be flagged off at the goods loading yard of the Tadipatri Railway Station on Thursday.
Minister for Agriculture Kurasala Kannababu is scheduled to visit the Packing House facility at Kadavakallu village in Putlur mandal and flag off the banana containers. The Desai Fruits Venture guides farmers from the time of planting and ensures quality output from the farms. The firm buys the produce, does post-harvest processing at Packing House and sends it out for sale in the open market.
Deputy Director Horticulture Subbarayudu said that bananas were being grown in 16,500 hectares in the district. “The variety being grown here is one of the best in the country due to good soil and climate conditions. Government incentives have also helped the farmers shun groundnut and take up horticulture crops for the past two years,” he said.
Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjeev Choudary, Desai Fruits Venture founder Ajit Desai, CEO Marco Klinge and CONCOR Chief General Manager D. Satyanarayana will be present at the flagging-off ceremony.
