The Banana Research Centre (BRC) in Jalgaon which functions under the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) has come up with a new kind of banana plantation to reduce the defects of the current variety grown by the farmers, reports The Times Of India.

The new variety of banana is made after seven years of extensive research and after nearly two decades banana growers will get access to a new variety. It is named as ‘Phule Pride’.

“Both the state government and the Central sub-committee on crop standard, notification and release of new variety of horticulture crops have recognised and notified this new variety,” said MPKV’s senior horticulture scientist Nazimuddin Shaikh.

The current banana plantation, the Grand Nain from Cavandish group, was introduced in 1996 in the banana-growing belts of Maharashtra. But, this variety is discovered to be more vulnerable to the effects of climate like rainfall, high-velocity winds etc resulting in crop damage.

A study by BRC had indicated that around 3,600 hectare of the current variety of banana crop to a tune of Rs 30 crore per year got damaged in Jalgaon alone which is a hub for banana plantations. This shows the need of farmers for a new variety that is more resistant to climate extremities.

“The new variety promises almost 100 per cent yield as the new variety is resistant to lodging, pseudostem breaking and high-velocity winds. It is also tolerant to leaf spot disease that damages the plants ,” added Shaikh.

“We have already got confirmed orders of over one lakh plants from banana farmers from Jalgaon, Pune, Solapur, Nandurbar etc,” said Ravindra Kadlag, director of a biotech firm.