Haenam-gun Begins Full-Scale Harvest of Eco-Friendly Domestic Bananas

High-Quality Haenam Bananas with Excellent Taste and Aroma to be Shipped from July

Shin Yong-gyun (75) from Bukpyeong-myeon, Haenam-gun, is harvesting bananas. (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam County, Jeollanam-do announced on the 29th that this year, two farms are expected to harvest 36 tons of bananas from an area of 0.6 hectares, generating approximately 320 million KRW in additional income.

Bananas can be harvested starting from one year after planting, and if growth is good, they are usually harvested about three times over two years.

Shin Yong-gyun (75 years old), whose banana farm is located in Bukpyeong-myeon and begins harvesting in July, made the success of Haenam banana cultivation known last year through the first harvest, hosting a banana harvest festival with children, and supplying to Haenam Miso and department stores.

About 470 banana trees were planted in July last year, and the first harvest is approaching after about a year. This year, harvesting will also begin in September at a banana farm located in Okcheon-myeon.

Domestic bananas are picked after fully ripening on the tree, resulting in excellent taste and aroma. They are cultivated using eco-friendly farming methods, making them much more preferred by consumers compared to imported bananas, which undergo quarantine processes involving high temperatures or pesticide sterilization.

In particular, the harvest of Haenam bananas is the greatest achievement of Haenam’s regional specialized crop development project, which has established a production base for subtropical crops in response to climate change, proving the possibility of banana cultivation inland and attracting great interest.

Haenam County is actively promoting the cultivation of new income crops in response to climate change. While conducting demonstration cultivation of subtropical crops in an ICT advanced greenhouse within the Agricultural Technology Center, various subtropical fruits are being distributed to farms through pilot projects, successfully establishing them as new sources of income.

The cultivation area of subtropical crops in Haenam County is the largest in Jeollanam-do, covering 23 hectares of figs, as well as 125 hectares of kiwifruit, buddleja, and bitter melon.

Bananas contain water-soluble pectin, potassium, and minerals, which help expel sodium, toxins, and heavy metals from the body, thereby preventing high blood pressure and stroke when consumed.

Additionally, the tryptophan in bananas aids the brain in secreting serotonin, which improves mood and helps relieve tension, depression, and stress.

Shin Yong-gyun said, “Haenam’s climate is warmer than other regions, and since we installed eco-friendly electric heaters, the management costs are not high, which encouraged me to take on banana farming. We successfully completed the first harvest last year, and this year we plan to ship Haenam bananas to various places such as school meals and department stores. We also plan to create a subtropical fruit experience farm including bananas so that many people can experience Haenam’s agricultural sites.”

County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan stated, “We believe that subtropical crops will become competitive crops in the future due to climate change and changes in consumer preferences. We will introduce various subtropical fruits such as pineapples and Redhyang and nurture them as new income crops for farmers, not just bananas.”

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