Trichy research centre plans to monitor banana cultivation using Isro sat mapping to avert supply glut

TRICHY: For banana farmers in Tamil Nadu, price fluctuations of popular varieties due to glut in supply have been the biggest shocker. Prices of varieties such as yelakki (Musa Acuminata) and poovan (Musa Paradisiaca) have plunged from Rs 45/kg to Rs 5/kg, often driving many to debt. Such shift in fortunes could become a thing of the past as ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Trichy plans to provide farmers with specific data on cultivation using satellite remote sensing technology in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).Isro’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is partnering with NRCB on satellite-based aerial mapping, and a proposal for the two-year project, estimated at Rs 6 crore, has been submitted to the ministry of agriculture for funding. “We will use drone and satellite data to evaluate growth stages and identify banana varieties across various blocks, then advise farmers in other areas to adjust their planting schedules accordingly,” R Selvarajan, director of ICAR-NRCB, told TOI.NRCB researchers will now interpret the satellite images provided by NRSC, and assess cultivation areas by examining spectral indices. “The lighter indices of spectrum signal early growth stages and denser ones indicate an advanced stage. Thus, the growth can be estimated,” said G Prabhu, a researcher at NRCB, adding that variety identification can also be done manually or via closer drone views.“Prices fluctuate significantly, and while investment costs remain largely consistent, banana farmers suffer heavy losses when oversupply causes prices to plummet,” said Trichy-based V A Subramanian, who cultivates banana in about 10 acres of land in Thottiyam. “The economic impact on us is severe, often leading many to debt,” Subramanian said. In Tamil Nadu, banana is cultivated on about one lakh hectares, covering districts such as Trichy, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Theni, Coimbatore, Erode and Cuddalore, with Trichy alone accounting for about 6,000 hectares. Predominant varieties include nendran, poovan, rasthali, karpooravalli, red banana, yelakki and grand naine, cultivated in 10 to 14 months.NRCB also intends to share data on cultivation areas and varieties with procuring agencies and buyers to facilitate direct farmer and farm produce organization connections. “When buyers link directly with farmers, the role of middlemen and their brokerage can be eliminated,” said NRCB director R Selvarajan.NRCB plans to deploy staff across 33 districts, including those in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra, to conduct ground surveys and provide updates to the institute. “Better coordination among farmers in following these recommendations is needed, and the govt should help mediate to build understanding among them,” said S A Sukumar, a farmer from Thottiyam.