BANANA CULTIVATION IN TAMIL NADU-TREND ANALYSIS

India is the largest producer of banana in the world. In India Banana ranks second next to Mango in area and production, occupying an area of about 83 lakh hectares with an annual production of 46.26 lakh tons. The important banana growing states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar and Gujarat. However, the present production of banana in the country is highly inadequate. It is estimated that, the present annual per capita consumption of banana in India is 50 kg per head which is very low compared with other progressive banana growing countries such as Jamaica, Congo, Equator, Kenya and Uganda. Thus there is an immense scope of increasing banana production in the country. By quality control, improvement in yield and reduction in postharvest losses, it is possible for India to account for 10 % of world export. The immediate need for capturing this market for banana is to be cost competitive. The fruits are more protective and qualitative food in the human diet. They are rich in carbohydrates, sugar, vitamins, organic acids and minerals and these ingredients have an important place in the human dietary system. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health and nutritive benefits of eating more fresh fruit like banana. The potential for banana consumption increases based on health reasons. Bananas are the main fruit in international trade and the most popular one in the world. Bananas are very delicate commodity on economic, social, environmental and political grounds. The share of banana trade in world banana production increased slightly in the last decades [from around 18% in the sixties and seventies to over 22% in the 1990s and 2000s]. The banana industry is a very important source of income, employment and export earnings for major banana exporting countries, mainly in developing countries. To cope up with the increasing demands the area of banana cultivation is also expanding. In this situation it is necessary to assess the banana area, production and productivity of Tamil Nadu. The results show that the growth rate analysis for past 17 year?s growth rate for both area and production is declining trend.