By Ifham Nizam

Plans are underway to export the first batch of Jaffna organic sour bananas to Dubai on April 28.

Addressing the media yesterday in Colombo, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the Ministry would export the first batch of 25,000 kilos of organic sour bananas grown on 350 acres in Jaffna to the Dubai market on the 28th of this month and thereafter every week.

Sour bananas had already been exported from Rajangana 18 times under the programme of establishing sour banana export zones here under the technical and financial contribution of the Agriculture Sector Modernization Project under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Some 600 farmers are engaged in sour banana cultivation in Jaffna and it is to be expanded to another 650 hectares.

In addition, arrangements have been made to establish a sour banana export zone in the vicinity of Embilipitiya and Hambantota this year. In addition, the minister also mentioned that 150 million rupees have been allocated for the establishment of a banana processing centre in the Sevanagala area.

At present, a banana processing centre has been established in Rajanganaya and the work on the processing centre in Jaffna has already commenced.

The export of sour bananas from Rajanganaya will earn the country USD 20,000 as export income at one time, and the export of bananas in Jaffna will earn the country 40,000 dollars weekly.

Due to the technical training provided by the Agriculture Sector Modernisation Project, sour banana cultivation is being done according to international standards.

The minister also said that no chemical fertilisers are used in the cultivation of sour bananas in Jaffna and the farmers use only compost, so they will get high demand for their sour bananas from other countries in the coming period.