Lok Sabha Question No. 2976 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-13
Subject: Viral Disease in Banana
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: T. RADHAKRISHNAN, ANWHAR RAAJHAA, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., SUDHEER GUPTA, BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2976 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13/03/2018

## VIRAL DISEASE IN BANANA

2976.  SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:

SHRI A. ANWHAR RAAJHAA:

SHRI S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the National Banana Festival, 2018 was held recently in Kerala and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that various viral diseases including Cucumber Mosaic Virus(CMV) are affecting bananas grown in the country;
- (c) if so, the quantum of crops losses due to these diseases;
- (d) whether the Government has conducted any survey for such diseases in banana;
- (e) if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to protect banana plantation from various diseases?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f'k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h

## (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a) Yes,  Madam. National  Banana  Festival  -  2018  was  organized  by  the  Centre  for Innovation in Science and Social Action [CISSA], Kerala in partnership with Kalliyoor Gram  Panchayat  and  a  host  of  National  and  State  organizations  from  17-21  February 2018 at Kalliyoor, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In this festival, a largescale Exhibition was arranged to showcase the diversity of banana in India. Large numbers of producers, farmers,  business  men,  academicians  and  researchers  from  the  various parts  of  the

country participated, and exhibition highlighted the multifarious uses of this unique fruit and other plant parts of banana.

ICAR-National  Research Centre for Banana  (ICAR-NRCB),  Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) was the foremost active Knowledge partner in the festival. In this festival, three days [17-19 February 2018] National Seminar on Banana was organized, in which five  lead  presentations  were  given  by  ICAR-NRCB Scientists.  ICAR-NRCB Scientists also participated in the Farmers interaction meeting on 20th February 2018. A five-day exhibition was also organized in connection with the festival, in which ICAR-NRCB and ICAR-CTCRI participated.

ICAR-NRCB displayed 50 varieties of banana and 20 value added commercialized banana products. More than 1.5 lakh visitors including banana farmers, entrepreneurs,  stakeholders,  students  and  other  public  visited  the  festival.  Mass  media partners like Door Darshan TV, local TVs, Newspapers like The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhoomi, etc. covered the festival in their dailies.

(b) Yes, Madam. There are four viral diseases namely banana bunchy top, infectious chlorosis (or mosaic), banana bract mosaic (BBTB) and banana streak recorded to affect banana and plantains in India.

(c) Banana bunchy top causes 100 % loss, whereas, other viral diseases cause the loss in  a  range  of  40-100%  depending  on  climate  and  growth  stage  of  the  crop.  The loss recorded due to BBTV and BBTV in Hill banana is a major problem in Tamil Nadu which damages / kills almost 30 per cent of the plants every year.

(d) Yes, Madam. Surveys were undertaken at regular intervals by ICAR-NRCB and in different centres under ICAR-All India coordinated Research Project on Fruits working in various parts of the country.

(e) The survey has revealed presence of all four viral diseases in banana. Last year, the  viral  disease  incidences  were  recorded  in  Kerala,  Tamil  Nadu,  Karnataka,  Assam, Maharashtra,  Gujarat,  Andhra  Pradesh,  West  Bengal  and  Bihar.  Bunchy  top  disease recorded  was  in  the  range  1-12%.  Upto  6%  incidence  of  CMV  was  recorded.  Bract mosaic (upto 12%) and Banana streak (upto 8%) disease was recorded only in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

(f) Viral diseases are managed by supplying virus free quality plants through a system called  National  Certification  system  for  tissue  culture  raised  plants  (NCS-TCP)  being implemented by DBT, GoI. Under this system,  ICAR-NRC Banana, Trichy has tested tissue culture banana and certified the plants free of viruses. A total of 225 million tissue culture  banana  plants  were  certified  under  this  NCS-TCP  in  the  last  three  years.  The centre has developed an on-site / in field detection kit for CMV and BBrMV.

In case of wilt disease of banana sensitisation and awareness campaign have been conducted  in  Bihar,  Karnataka,  Tamil  Nadu,  Maharashtra  and  Gujarat.  Management package has been distributed to 80 research centres working across the country. Many KVKs are also working towards the disease management in banana.

*******