'Wando-san Banana' Will Be Available to Taste in October Next Year

450 Banana Seedlings Planted Last October, Harvest Possible After 1 Year

Banana facility greenhouse located in Jangja-ri, Wando-eup (Photo by Wando-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 11th that Wando-gun Agricultural Technology Center and the Agricultural Cooperative Wando-gun Branch have established a 2,000㎡ banana facility greenhouse in Jangja-ri, Wando-eup to promote the banana income project, a tropical fruit tree, as a cooperative project this year.

Wando is located at the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, where winter temperatures are warmer than other regions, allowing for reduced heating costs in facility greenhouses, making it suitable for cultivating subtropical crops.

This can be seen from the cultivation of subtropical fruits such as loquat, yuzu, citrus, kiwifruit, and mandarins in Wando. Accordingly, in February, farmers to cultivate bananas were selected, a facility greenhouse was newly constructed, and 450 banana seedlings were planted in October.

The planted bananas are maintained at 22℃ even during winter nights, making harvest possible after one year. It is expected that by October next year, bananas grown organically in Wando can be tasted.

Bananas are highly preferred by consumers, but imported bananas take more than a month to arrive domestically, during which long-term transportation and quarantine processes often involve chemical treatments.

Therefore, there is growing interest in domestically grown organic bananas that prioritize safety these days. Domestic bananas have a retail price about twice as high as imported bananas but are competitive in terms of freshness and safety.

An official from the Agricultural Technology Center said, “In response to changes in the domestic market such as increased demand for subtropical fruits, we will promote a pilot project for cultivating subtropical crops utilizing Wando’s warm climate to help increase farmers’ income.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.