Doing what’s kneadful to save bananas

When banana farmers in the district have been complaining about bad crop and neglect by elected representatives, Gade is an ideal example of how to think out of the box

We drove 42 km from Jalgaon city into the innards of Yawal tehsil guided by just a phone number and a name: 7, Madhav Nagar. By the time we reached, it was almost noon and streets seared by 42 degrees plus centigrade were empty. We held on to a vision of a small factory unit that baked biscuits.

At the only shop on the street, we ask for Ashok Gade, and the man inside points to the main road that leads to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh.

We're in luck. The shop belongs to Gade and we've just been told where the factory is.

Gade's daughter with his granddaughter Ambika; (right) Gade checks freshly-baked biscuits at his unit at Madhav Nagar, Yawal. Pics/Ashish Raje

Inside a small galla, a man with his head and face covered wth a big gamcha is watering the plants. We ask for Ashok Gade again. "I am him," says the man, and opens the gate.

Seventy-one-year-old Ashok Prabhakar Gade has managed a blueprint for success for any farmer. While all the banana farmers in the district bemoan bad crop, non-co-operation from the government and neglect by elected representatives, Gade has been focusing on solutions.

Mindful of the fruit's short shelf life that restricts transport and storage, he opted out of going bananas. Instead of growing them, he turns them into chips, Chavda, laddoos, and biscuits, sacks of which line the 1,000 sqft unit, awaiting export to many states.

Banana Papad

"My home is just behind this," he tells us, "and it's all hands on board when we get orders." The Gade family developed several banana. by-products, and their hero, banana biscuit, and received the patent in April of last year.

Identified with its own GI tag from 2016, Jalgaon district produces 70 per cent of the state's banana production; Which in turn is 11 per cent of the national produce.

"All our life, we've struggled with the banana yield," Gade tell us, covered head to toe now as he opens the large ovens where the biscuits are being baked. "We realise that every part of the banana tree is of immense use, but bananas have no [shelf] life. They need a certain temperature and support to sustain. Also it is a very co-dependent business. Once the yield is ready, I have to depend on the trader, then transport and logistics [for the fruit to reach the market]. Even a single delay at any step damages the yield."

Banana Chivda

Banana plants reach maturity after one year and the cost of rearing one fruit-yielding plant is Rs 150 to Rs 200. "Our earning from one tree is nearly the same as the cost of cultivation," Gade tells us, "We could not survive; there had to be a way out. I discussed this with my wife Kusum, and we came up with the idea of making unique by-products."

The banana biscuit is devoid of maida or any artificial ingredients that are the hallmark of commercial biscuits. "Copying others is a natural human instinct, so protecting our recipe was important," he says, we made a presentation to the patent office in Mumbai and applied for a patent from the central government in 2022. We were granted one in April 2023. We broke the death cycle."

Sales shot up with the acquisition of the patent which gave a boost to the product under the brand name Sankalp Enterprises. Sales shot up by 30 per cent, Gade said.

"We've stopped selling raw bananas completely," he boasts, "and completely switched over to banana processing." Banana biscuits, the family feels, are a good way to connect with the urban clusters and are loved by children. "They are rich in calcium unlike the others in the market," says his grandson, Srujan.

"Besides biscuits," pipes up his daughter Leena who is based in Pune, "chips and laddu do well too. The products have slowly started doing well in urban clusters like Nashik, Pune, Indore, Bangalore, even Mumbai and also far off states like West Bengal and Orissa.

Sachin, his son adds: "Not just children, but also grown-ups. Banana products are also consumed by those who fast, and there is more demand on such days."

Daughter-in-law Sneha is as much a part of the business as everyone else: "We have created quite a few unusual products such as papad, chivda, laddu and even jam. Being a family venture, we market it on social media and at local food fairs and cultural events."

Gade senior is Sankalp's disciplinarian, and the moment of pride for the family was when he was felicitated by Maharashtra Governor in August 2023 with The Gramudyog Bharari award 2023, which is felicitated by the Maharashtra Government Khadi and Gramudyog Mandal and Meghashray Foundation.

The family uses fruit from their own farm. "We started organic farming in 2008, and there has been no looking back," Ashok says. "We applied for loans under various government schemes to set up the unit in 2010. The first amount was meagre Rs 1.5 lakh, despite having approvals for a higher amount of Rs 10 lakh, but the second time, it worked well. We purchased machinery from Indore and Kolhapur, and invested about Rs 30 to 40 lakhs in setting up the unit. We have now been able to clear all the loans too."

They now collaborate with the youth and farmers to help them set up their own processing units, and to think beyond farming to include what to do with their produce. "We train them and prepare them with preliminary information," he says.