Yara India hosts first banana value chain summit with Banana Research Station in Jalgaon

Yara India and the Banana Research Station (BRS-Jalgaon) a premier R&D institution under ICAR organized the first ever Banana Value Chain Summit 2025 in Savda, Jalgaon. The summit was organized on the 6^th of August 2025 on the theme “Strengthening Banana Value Chain from Productivity to Prosperity.” The primary goal of the summit was to provide dynamic platform to address the critical challenges facing Banana cultivation in India while promoting innovation, collaboration, and value addition across the banana ecosystem. The speakers included eminent representatives from the government research institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), industry experts, exporters and progressive Banana farmers from Jalgaon and Solapur. They deliberated on the key challenges and recommendations for Jalgaon Banana growers, discussed future measures that the government and partners in value chain need to take to make the sector more competitive.

The technical sessions covered key themes including trends in banana industry, precision plant nutrition strategies for Banana cultivation, disease and pest management, export-oriented challenges and solutions, harnessing AI in Banana cultivation, KVK’s close involvement in enhancing Banana from productivity to prosperity. Sessions emphasised on enhancing productivity, resilience and market reach of Banana in India, with a strong focus on farmer-centric solutions and industry-academia collaboration. The event witnessed a turnout of over 850 banana growers from Jalgaon, Dhule, Solapur districts.

The event hosted a pavilion where leading agri players in the value chain exhibited their technologies. These companies were Yara India, Jain Tissue Culture & Jain Irrigation, Rivullis, Fyllo, Bayer, Microbax, BASF displayed their advanced technologies, attracted heavy rush of visitors to the stall.

Farmers and farm entrepreneurs were especially interested to know about pre- and post-harvest technologies as they feel that it could be a way to help increase their income substantially. Many more farmers were inquiring about Yara Banana Crop Plan to enhance quality of the produce to meet exports standards. Also, they got clear idea of good agricultural practices followed in Banana crop. With increasing water scarcity, farmers were also interested in knowing advanced water efficient technologies which used minimum water with good results.

The exhibition represented the diverse nature of the sector. The mix of participants at the Banana Value Chain Summit 2025 highlighted events role as a significant platform for the exchange of ideas and advancement in Banana cultivation and exports.

The summit also held a regional press briefing that secured strong participation from over 20 journalists from the leading Cat A and B regional media houses with a combined circulation of 0.4 million and a reach of over 1.6 million readers.

The interaction focused on the current trends in banana cultivation, strategies to boost productivity, enhance exports, and position Jalgaon as an emerging banana export hub. The briefing was led by Yara India’s Agronomy Chief, Dr Rajiv Mishra and Zonal Business Head (West), Mr Bhan Singh. The inaugural banana value chain summit received extensive media coverage from different media and publication houses. Link to media

The session ended on a celebratory note, Yara BRS team honoured 16 banana growers for their exemplary efforts whether through adopting innovative nutrition management, improving yield and quality, adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) & promoting sustainable farming practices or guiding their fellow farmers on meeting export standards. Their dedication not only enhanced their own fields but also inspired the wider farming community.