ICAR NRCB Vision 2050

Abstract

Banana is the most important fruit crop in India and accounts for 36.6 per cent of the total fruit production. It is widely cultivated in varying agro-climatic regions under different systems of production. The banana research in India is directed towards increase in production and productivity with a vision to become the world leader in banana industry. However, banana cultivation continued to face several pests and diseases problems which have affected the production and productivity. Nevertheless, conservation and characterization of genetic diversity, improvement of cultivars resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses, production technology for high productivity with good quality fruits and post-harvest technology needed more systematic research. The growing awareness of banana in human nutrition, high economic returns per unit area, export potential and production constraints due to biotic and abiotic stresses have warranted systematic research in banana.