In what could be a major boost to promotion of banana cultivation in the State, the Central government has selected Anantapur for a pilot project under Cluster Development programme. Theni in Tamil Nadu is another place in the country to be identified for the pilot project.
According to information, the objective of the programme is to tap the vast potential of crops such as apple, mango, grapes, pineapple, pomegranate and turmeric apart from banana in the horticulture sector. The Union government wanted to address the issue of inadequate and fragmented supply chain. As part of it, the Centre has identified Anantapur for launching the project.
Horticulture officials say that Andhra Pradesh has been selected for launching the pilot project in view of its achievements in banana cultivation and production. The State occupies the top slot in banana cultivation in the country. From a mere 79,360 hectare (ha) in 2015, the area under banana cultivation increased to 1,03,728 ha in 2018-19. The production touched 62,23,680 metric tonnes (mt) in 2018-19 from 34,87,308 mt in 2015.
Holistic approach
When contacted, Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary says the cluster will be developed in a holistic manner by providing linkage to domestic and export markets. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) will include both soft and hard intervention. Financial assistance would be provided as per the existing norms of the National Horticulture Board (NHB)/ Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for different project components, he says.
Capacity building, export-oriented training and skill development for producers, processors and exporters will be taken up under the programme. The capacity building of farmers includes post-harvest management (PHM) practices comprising ripening, packaging and transport of produce commensurate to export requirements. Interventions by the State Agriculture and Horticulture Department, Food Processing Department and the concerned Central departments and ministries are required, he says.
Key role for FPOs
The government proposes to focus on leveraging the Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) and creation of FPOs for aggregation and primary processing of produce at field level. Establishment of a model supply chain comprising ripening chambers, integrated pack houses, controlled atmosphere stores, reefer vehicles etc. as per requirements will also be taken up to ensure seamless backward and forward linkages. In a way, end-to-end solutions will be provided, he adds.
