: Move Over Banana Bread. This Woman Is Making Waves With Banana Gulab Jamuns #IndiaNEWS #Food In Karnataka, it is common for areca nut and coconut farmers to grow bananas to earn additional income.

@newsMNC

Posted in: #IndiaNEWS

Move Over Banana Bread. This Woman Is Making Waves With Banana Gulab Jamuns #IndiaNEWS #Food
In Karnataka, it is common for areca nut and coconut farmers to grow bananas to earn additional income. However, they depend on merchants to sell their produce and have no control over the pricing.
Banana is India’s second-most important fruit crop, and saw an abundant harvest this year. This led to competitive pricing and several farmers could not sell their produce at fair prices. While some were forced to sell their produce for throwaway prices like Rs 4 or 5 per kilogram, others ended up feeding it to their cattle.
In Tumkur district’s Athikatte village, 43-year-old Nayana Anand, an organic cultivator of areca nuts and coconuts, also saw this taking place. Through March and April this year, she received ripe and raw bananas from farmers living nearby as gifts.
“They were unable to sell their harvest, so they began distributing it to their near and dear ones. By the end of March, I had 10 hands of bananas at home,� Nayana says.
In an interview with The Better India, Nayana talks about how she came up with a unique solution to prevent the bananas from going to waste.
Nayana Anand, a farmer in Tumkur, Karnataka.
Learning from experts
At first, Nayana made a variety of dishes such as vadais and sweets at home. “However, there were still at least 50 fingers of bananas that were on the verge of spoiling,� she says.
It was then that she remembered that when there is an excess of jackfruit production in Kerala, it is common for farmers to dry them and make powder. “While raw banana powder is commonly found in the market, I did not know whether ripe ones can be made into flour. So I approached Shree Padre sir, a well-known journalist in Karnataka. He handles a WhatsApp group named Anytime Vegetables, which helps farmers in the state connect,� says Nayana.
Through that group, Nayana raised her concern and requested someone to teach her how to make the flour. Padre put her in touch with a researcher named Jissy George at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Alleppey. “Over a phone call, she explained to me that it was a simple process and gave me detailed step-by-step instructions. The same day, I began preparing both raw and ripe bananas to make flour,� says Nayana, adding that the flour was ready within one week.
Nayana with the banana flour she made.
Here’s how she made it:
Step 1: Prepare a solution of 800 ml water and 200 ml of rice water.
Step 2: Add 10 gms of salt to the liquid.
Step 3: Peel raw and ripe bananas.
Peel the bananas.
Step 4: Soak them in the solution for half an hour and slice them.
Soak the bananas for half an hour.
Step 5: Dry under the sun for two days, and more if the weather is cold.

Latest stock market news Twitter alternate of India

Flash it Bury this

0 Reactions   React

Replies (0)

Login to post a comment!