The government of India has updated the protocol for the export of bananas. In order to define this protocol, companies like Deccanfield Agro have been doing trials with small volumes of bananas. “We’ve exported two sample containers from southern ports in India. In order to perform a proper trial, we’ll need to send a total of three or four containers,” says Prashanth Gowda of Deccanfield.
The protocol is primarily aimed at ocean freight, which is a type of logistics that invariably has to deal with the fact that bananas are highly perishable. By experimenting with these shipments, both the companies and the Indian government try to find ways to increase shelf life. However, it is still unclear how export companies will react to the new protocol. “It’s still too early to tell. We’re still waiting on reactions.”
The banana varieties that Deccanfield is working with are the Cavendish and the smaller Yelakki. Most of the export goes to Europe and the Middle East. “We’re having a very good production this year."
“Prices are good on the domestic market due to religious festivals. The prices have also increased due to the smaller production volumes, which were caused by the drought. In one and a half months, prices should drop. We’ve seen more rainfall, which could lead to increased production.”
Though some parts of India were hit hard by the extreme monsoon season, this has had no effect on the Indian banana sector. “We’re currently working on a program that combines farmers with private companies. For one such company, about 2.500 ha of acreage has been planted in the region of Bangalore. As soon as this new acreage goes into production, volumes should increase. We’ve also been helped a lot by government support in the form of subsidies. About 40% of all production costs are financially backed by the Indian authorities.”
