The banana, or Musa acuminate as it is known scientifically, is regarded as the fifth most traded agricultural product in the world and one of its largest retail hubs is located in Assam, India.
The largest banana market in Asia is located in the Goalpara district of Daranggiri in Assam, next to NH37, and is administered by the Daranggiri Anchalik Unnayan Samiti.
The months of September and October, which are regarded as a high season, are normally when Darangiri is inundated with bananas due to the onslaught of the holiday season.
According to local dealers, there are close to 20,000 individuals employed in the industry, with about 50 truckloads of bananas being sold from growers to sellers each week.
With a monthly revenue of Rs 4 crore, Darangiri sells bananas not only in India but also to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal.
“This market is not from today, it has been here from ages before we were born,” said one of the traders in a statement to ‘India Today NE.’
He added, “Earlier on both sides of the NH37 banana used to flood the entire area of 1 kilometre, however, later we acquired this land and turned it into a market for bananas.”
The dealer added that the Chaat Puja and Diwali days are like festivals for both buyers and sellers because they only occur once a year, but the regular market is still open every Monday and Thursday.
These bananas are been sold by farmers from Goalpara district, Kamrup and Meghalaya which is governed by the Daranggiri Anchalik Unnayan Samiti.
Particularly, young people from the Goalpara district have taken up this industry quite seriously and regularly contributed to the market in order to self-sustain and obtain a living.
It should be noted that the banana is the second-most sought-after fruit crop in India, behind the mango.
