Banana Boom: Maharashtra farmers expand acreage as India eyes bigger global market
Lucrative prices and rising commercial demand are set to push up banana acreage in Maharashtra in marketing year 2025, strengthening India’s production and export prospects. A recent Crisil–APEDA report projects Maharashtra to consolidate its position as the country’s leading banana hub, contributing nearly 25 per cent to India’s 14.2-million-tonne output.
Banana has now overtaken mango in value terms. In 2023–24, its gross value of output at constant prices touched ₹47,000 crore, surpassing mango’s ₹46,100 crore, ending more than a decade of mango’s dominance. No surprise then that Maharashtra farmers are rapidly shifting acreage: about 1,69,217 acres were under banana cultivation in 2024–25, and this is expected to rise further.
New banana belt
“This year Solapur’s plantation alone may have crossed 90,000 acres. Jalgaon already leads, but Solapur, Nanded and Jamner are fast emerging as major centres,” said Solapur-based Pramod Nirmal of Banana Mahakrishi FPC which exporting banana to Iran and Iraq this year.
Nirmal added that exports have turned the crop into a lucrative option. “A few years ago India exported very few containers; today we ship over 55,000 containers annually. Prices fluctuate, but compared to grapes, banana gives better returns.”
Farmer Kapil Jachak urged the government to support cultivators amid recent price declines in domestic and foreign markets. “There’s no dedicated authority to monitor the situation,” he said.
Moving to address industry demands, the Maharashtra government is in the final stages of setting up a Banana Board, Jalgaon Guardian Minister Gulabrao Patil said. The State also plans a network of cold storage and processing units to strengthen the supply chain.
Export opportunities grow
India has a strong and stable presence in the Middle East markets—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. With competing producers facing output setbacks, Crisil says India is well-positioned to expand its share.
Iran and Iraq, which together import over 1 million tonnes of bananas annually, offer major new opportunities. India holds a competitive edge with export prices about 40 per cent lower than Iraq’s average import price.
The recently concluded India–UK FTA, which grants India zero-duty access, opens a premium market where India can diversify beyond developing economies. UK retailers like Tesco are promoting premium “ripen at home” bananas with longer shelf life—an area where India can position itself strongly.
Published on November 25, 2025
