Indonesia has emerged as a significant banana producer, ranking as the third-largest in the world. Banana production in Indonesia holds strong potential to improve the livelihoods of local farmers, stimulate regional economies, and increase foreign exchange earnings through exports. In 2022, banana production in Indonesia reached over 9 million tons, reflecting a robust increase of approximately 6% from the previous year and solidifying its role as a key national commodity.

Despite its potential, the banana farming sector in Indonesia faces substantial challenges. These include limited access to high-quality planting materials and modern seed technology, insufficient knowledge of sustainable and good agricultural and handling practices, weak post-harvest management systems, and underdeveloped farmer institutions. Additionally, there is a lack of understanding regarding international market requirements, which limits productivity and market penetration, particularly for fresh bananas in the export market. A major bottleneck remains the continued reliance on banana tuber propagation, which results in low-quality, disease-prone planting materials, increasing vulnerability to bacterial and fusarium wilts, and contributing to high production losses.

Another critical gap is the lack of market intelligence, which prevents farmers from applying appropriate fresh product handling and transport practices to meet international standards for freshness, cleanliness, and phytosanitary compliance. These constraints collectively hinder the competitiveness of Indonesia’s banana sector and diminish the potential socio-economic benefits for rural communities.

To address these challenges, and as part of the FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, this project will focus on enhancing the production and trade of fresh banana products. The project aims to improve productivity, sustainability, and market readiness by strengthening Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Handling Practices (GHP), and practical knowledge of market-driven production and trade among farmers, extension workers, and stakeholders.
A central component will be the establishment of a cutting-edge seedling production facility in Lumajang District, East Java to ensure the availability of high-quality planting materials and the conservation of local genetic resources. This will be complemented by capacity development for local researchers and operators.

Importantly, demonstration pilot projects will be implemented in three sub-districts: Gucialit, Senduro, and Pasrujambe, in close collaboration with local farmer association. These pilots will serve as models to demonstrate the practical application of GAP and GHP, tailored to market quality standards and designed to enhance farmers’ knowledge and confidence in sustainable, market-oriented practices.

The GAP package will introduce innovative and precision agriculture techniques, such as a smart fertilization recommendation system based on IoT sensors, which measure N, P, K content, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, and soil moisture. This system will enable farmers to receive tailored fertilization recommendations that align with the specific soil conditions and crop needs of Pisang Mas Kirana, thereby improving efficiency and yield.
Moreover, the GAP will incorporate improved fruit sanitation and care practices, including bud injection (the application of insecticide to the banana heart once it reaches 50–75% emergence), fruit bagging, and other preventive measures to reduce pest and disease pressure and enhance fruit quality. Bud injection is a targeted technique to proactively protect the banana heart from insect or pest attacks during critical growth stages.

In line with sustainable agriculture principles, the project will also promote and strengthen ecological approaches, such as the use of organic manure and the production and application of Trichoderma and local microorganisms (Mikroorganisme Lokal/MOL) for soil and plant health improvement. These interventions will help reduce reliance on chemical inputs, improve soil biodiversity, and foster resilience in banana production systems.

By linking farmers more effectively to market requirements, and by embedding smart, sustainable, and ecologically sound practices into everyday production systems, this project aims to transform banana farming in East Java into a more competitive, sustainable, and inclusive sector.