Fishermen Need Banana Industry Training

Kotabaru, 10/6 (Antaranews, South Kalimantan) - People on the Sembilan Island, about 84 miles south of the capital District of Kotabaru, require training of domestic industry to process their abundant banana production. 

"In one week, the production of bananas in our village community gardens is around 1,000 clusters (3000-3500 bunches)," said Sarjan, a resident of Maradapan Island,  in Kotabaru on Monday.

Each banana clusters contains three or four bunch. Residents sell to dealers or collectors around Rp15,000, to be brought to Kotabaru and Banjarmasin. In fact, in Kotabaru the ripe banana sold around Rp10,000 to Rp15.000  per bunch.

Residents on the island expects local governments to provide training and capital for residents to sell bananas in the form of processed foods.

"We believe, if the banana is processed in such a way to make money is greater than the sale in the form of raw materials," he added.

In addition to domestic industry training, residents were mostly fishermen also need capital and guidance directly from the experts in managing the business.

Sarjanr added, banana gardening is an alternative business that can be done on the island fishermen Maradapan, when high waves and bad weather. "In the difficult conditions in which there is a big wave, residents could only surrender did not dare go to sea, because it is dangerous," he explained.

"Thank God, in one season, we can harvest up to 1,000 banana clusters," said one resident Maradapan, call Andi.

Andi, who is citizens of Sulawesi and settled in Maradapan,  claimed he was lucky to gardening bananas.

Meanwhile, various types of banana plants in the subdistrict of Pulau Sembilan in the range of tens of hectares. The banana crop is sold in the form of raw, semi-ripe and ripe to middlemen in Kotabaru.