Indian Banana Leaves to be Exported to Dubai

Food served on the banana leaves absorbs the polyphenols which are said to prevent many lifestyle diseases. They are also said to have anti-bacterial properties that can possibly kill the germs in food. Banana leaves contain large amounts of polyphenols that are natural antioxidants. These are found in many plant-based foods and green tea. 

Most people use banana leaves to serve an authentic south Indian spread on festivals and family get-togethers. They are also considered quite sacred and are often used for offering Prasad to the deities. These thick leaves are big enough to serve a multi-course meal ranging from sambhar to chutneys. You can also cut these leaves in different sizes and place them on platter of any size.  Banana leaves are loaded with nutrients we bet you didn't know about. Food when served on banana leaves gets enriched with several nutrients that we would otherwise miss.

With the demand for banana leaves soaring in Dubai during April for the festival season, exporters from Kerala thronged the valley to buy them in bulk.

Traders will export one tonne of the eco-friendly leaves every day for Vishu and the Tamil New Year. Bananas from the farms in Chinnamanur and nearby villages are already a huge hit among south Indians in West Asia. Now, the plantain leaves from the Cumbum valley have also become much sought-after, particularly in Dubai.

This year, nostalgic Malayalis and Tamils in Dubai and other West Asian countries can look forward to doing it just like home, as a huge consignment of banana leaves will arrive straight from the verdant Cumbum valley.

“We collect only fully matured, country banana leaves,” said V. Sudhakaran, a leaf exporter at Sukkangalpatti village.

“The leaf should not have any black dots or yellow spots. It should be dark green. Workers grade the leaves, process and pack them in cartons at the farms and transport them to Cochin airport for export. The leaves will hit the Dubai market within 24 hours.”

“The domestic market will not be affected much by the exports as we send matured leaves,” Mr Sudhakaran said. “Local people prefer tender light green leaf of any variety of banana. But we prefer fully matured leaves as they have longer shelf life. We will send one tonne of leaves to Dubai every day, till the weekend.”

Though it is peak season in April, expats prefer to buy banana leaves in large numbers during Christmas too. “We sent a small quantity last December. But we have a bulk order for this year’s Vishu. We procure the leaves from Kullapuram in Periyakulam block to Goodalur near Lower camp, at Rs. 2 per leaf,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.

Flowers are also exported to countries in West Asia as they form part of the ‘kani’ display of auspicious articles for Vishu, while hotels in the region deliver the ‘sadhya’ feast to a large number of families at home.

The plants are also given support using casuarina poles to prevent damage. Such measures prevent leaf damage, says S. Karuppan, a farmer of Kullapuram.

To maintain quality, farmers were advised to grow the plantains densely near farm borders to protect those in the farm from strong winds.