I didn’t that I would be writing about innovation in fruit this week.
But that is exactly what I found when someone told me about a new type of banana from Japan.
D&T farms has found a new way of cultivating bananas which appears to have two very useful perks. This is achieved through a special propagation method involving keeping the plant at sub-zero temperatures of below -60 degrees Celcius.
Firstly, it triggers a state of rapid growth, cutting down the typical growing time of a banana plant from 2 years to around four months.
But more strangely, it causes the plant to develop fruits with skins which are much thinner, sweeter, and completely edible.
They call it the Mongee Banana (meaning incredible in Okayama dialect).
Imagine being able to just bite into a deliciously sweet snack without having to waste entire seconds peeling it.
Or living without fear that you might slip on a stray banana peel like some old cartoon character.
Well, those dreams could be yours for the low price of only £4.20 each. As long as you can get one of the 10 available for sale each week.
Although considering that where I currently am in Australia you can pay upwards of $5 for a single avocado, that doesn’t seem exorbitant…
All joking aside, it is important that we encourage companies to continue to innovate in agriculture. Whether it be producing genetically modified “golden rice” which is richer in vitamins, drought-resistant crops or new organic farming practices to increase yields without fertiliser, we cannot stop finding new ways to feed the world’s growing population.
But in the meantime, hand me one of those new-fangled bananas.
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Nick Skillicorn
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