PHEEGYAN banana, a Myanmar species, produced from the Kyaukse area, is distributed to Yangon, Mandalay and Bago cities, according to the Consumer Affairs Department (Mandalay).
Kyaukse is one of the nine districts in the central region of Mandalay, that relies on agriculture. Paddy, various peas, oil crops, chilli pepper, mango and banana are cultivated in the area each season. Banana cultivation also grew from manageable to commercial scale.
There were 1,282 acres of bananas in the 2024-2025 financial year (April-March) in Kyaukse Township, and banana harvesting has been done on 1,264 acres so far, according to statistics of the District Settlement and Land Records Department. The banana can be grown in all seasons in the country. About 800 banana plants can be grown per acre with a spacing of eight feet. Banana blossoms after nine to ten months of cultivation, and three months after, the banana harvest begins.
The Pheegyan banana variety is mainly cultivated in the Kyaukse region. The input cost is about K1.5 million, including seedlings, wages and other input costs. An acre can produce about 800 banana branches. Brokers come to farms to buy bananas and supply them to shops in Yangon, Mandalay and Bago cities. The entire banana tree (leaves, shoots and even the peels) is valued for many uses. It is a lucrative business for the residents. — NN/KK
