Going Bananas! Golden Saba Production Through Tissue Culture

The propagation of the Golden Mondo Saba, a product which is highly in demand among Filipinos abroad especially Fil-Ams, has started in a Tissue Culture Laboratory in Kidapawan.
Early this morning, young Kidapawan City agriculturist Jay Mearns came to my farm to gather corms from the Golden Mondo Saba I planted in the farm last year.
I asked Jay to help me propagate the very delicious banana variety which I planted last year using suckers I bought from an old farmer from a village in Kidapawan City.
I actually discovered the Golden Mondo Saba after my farmhouse workers bought a hand from the farmer.
I so loved the color and the taste that I told my workers to go back to the farmer and ask if I could buy suckers for planting.
The old farmer sold me 20 suckers for P25 each which are now producing suckers with corms.
From each corm, Jay could propagate up to 500 merriplants which would grow to foot-high planting materials after six months.
Since he was able to gather at least 10 suckers with corms, Jay could produce at least 5,000 planting materials by the end of this year.
With more suckers emerging from the mother plants, Jay could produce the same volume monthly.
The large-scale propagation of Golden Mondo Saba is expected to fill the volume requirements of Asian Supermarkets in the U.S.
All because an old farmer was kind enough to share planting materials of his Golden Mondo!
Now, I instructed my workers to again look for the old farmer so he could be informed that he will get a royalty from every planting material which Jay will produce.
#GivingFarmersFairShare!
(Photos by Mina Balah.)