First banana festival in Tamenglong ahead of Ningol Chakouba festival

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, November 1: For the first time a 3-day banana festival will be organised at Noney Longmai common hall, Tamenglong district to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and banana farmers for mass scale production.

Secretary of the festival organising committee, Gailanchung Kamei in a news conference held today at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul, Imphal said the festival will kick off on November 6.

He said bananas produced in Tamenglong are almost organic and they include in g9 (grand nain/grande naine) class.

Grand nain bananas are banana cultivars of Musa acuminata. Musa acuminata is a species of banana native to Southeast Asia, commonly cultivated bananas and a source of commercial Cavendish bananas. It is also known as the Chiquita banana, because it is the main product of Chiquita Brands International.

Gailanchung said such bananas are produced in bulk in the area but due to lack of marketing most of the bananas get wasted.

The festival would be able to bring intimacy between farmers and entrepreneurs, he added.

If the bananas are certified under Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), farmers could get the benefit not only in state level but also in national and international markets.

The three days festival is organised to supplement the Ningol Chakouba which is a grand festival of Manipur.

Gailanchung appealed the people to come and visit the festival as one can buy bananas at reasonable prices.