Indonesia has over 300 local banana varieties, according to BRIN

We have considerable genetic resources from wild and local bananas. Therefore, we need to carry out exploration. Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has more than 300 types of bananas that are cultivated from Sumatra to Papua Islands, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). "More than 300 types of local bananas are widely spread throughout Indonesia," a horticulture and plantation researcher from BRIN, Agus Sutanto, said here on Thursday. Some local bananas are specific to certain areas, for example, "goroho" bananas are grown in North Sulawesi; Agung Bananas in Lumajang, East Java; Biu Kayu are local to Bali and West Nusa Tenggara; and Tonga Langit bananas can be found from Maluku to Papua, he added. According to him, people often process bananas into chips and even use them as rice substitutes for breakfast. BRIN, he said, uses genetic resources from local bananas to produce plants that can withstand biotic and abiotic threats. For example, the ...