The Pineapple Growers’ Association Keralam has opened talks with a private company to explore the possibilities of mass production of MD2 pineapple suckers through tissue culture as more farmers express willingness to shift to the variety from the traditionally grown Mauritius variety.
Pineapple growers’ representatives said that the first round of discussions were held recently on the possibility of opening a facility for tissue culture of the suckers. A few pineapple farmers, in their social media posts, wished the project well and expressed the hope that though late, the project will take off soon.
‘There will be takers’
Veteran pineapple farmer Baby John said that if sufficient MD2 suckers are available, more farmers will be willing to shift from the traditional variety. But the suckers are not available. He claimed that if MD2 seedlings can be created out of a tissue culture lab in sufficient quantity, then there will be takers for the material from all over India.
The tissue cultured MD2 suckers may take more time to be replanted in the fields and its cost will be higher than the local variety. But about 20% to 30% more suckers can be planted in an acre of land compared to Mauritius.
According to the Pineapple Research station data, MD2 or Dinar pineapple is the standard for the international market because of its colour, flavour, shape, lifespan, and ripeness. However, none of the pineapple growing States in the country cultivate the MD2 variety. The favoured varieties so far in the country include Mauritius, Queen, Kew.
Published - October 01, 2024 07:04 pm IST
