Prayagraj: Kaushambi farmers are now adopting organic farming in banana cultivation. Interestingly, farmers in the riverbank areas along the banks of the river Ganga have also stepped forward to engage in horticulture.Under the ‘Namami Gange’ project, there has been a growing inclination among farmers in the Prayagraj region to adopt organic farming practices, driven by efforts to discourage the excessive use of chemicals and pesticides.Dayaram Maurya, a farmer associated with the Banana Growers’ Association, notes that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in the fields of the Ganga has been steadily depleting soil fertility and in light of this, farmers in the riverbank areas are increasingly shifting towards organic banana cultivation.The state government is too making persistent efforts to promote banana cultivation along both banks of the river—spanning a zone of approximately five kilometers—as part of its broader mission to make the Ganga pollution-free.District horticulture officer (Kaushambi) Awadhesh Mishra says that efforts are yielding positive results. This year alone, farmers have commenced organic banana cultivation across an area of approximately 50 hectares within the Ganga basin.Kaushambi, which holds the distinction of being a ‘Mini Bhusawal’, is home to over 2,500 farmers who are earning lakhs through banana cultivation.Mishra, meanwhile, said that banana cultivation is currently being undertaken across 5,800 hectares within the district. The expansion of banana farming in the alluvial floodplains of the Ganga is expected to yield dual benefits. On one hand, it will increase the total area under banana cultivation in the district, and on the other, it will significantly improve soil health.Furthermore, a state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory—established in Chilla Sahwaji village at a cost exceeding Rs 2 crore—is also poised to play a pivotal role in supporting these initiatives within the district. Until now, the most significant challenge faced by the banana-growing farmers has been the procurement of tissue-culture-raised saplings.Due to frequent delays in the arrival of tissue-culture banana saplings from Maharashtra, West Bengal, and other states, crops worth lakhs of rupees were often ruined. In light of this, a tissue culture laboratory based on modern technology has been established in Chilla Sahwaji village in Kaushambi.With the setting up the laboratory, banana-producing farmers in the Kaushambi district—as well as those in neighboring districts—are now receiving high-quality tissue-culture banana saplings in a timely manner.Eom
