The first experimental batch of fully ripened Russian-grown bananas was harvested in Sochi. About 150 kg of fruit were sent to the laboratory of the Novorossiysk branch of the Federal Center for Assessment of Safety and Quality of Agricultural Products.
The examination is supposed to check whether the bananas meet the requirements of GOST 35258-2025 “Fresh Bananas. Technical Specifications” before the harvest is put on sale. Specialists are studying the organoleptic and physicochemical indicators of the fruit, its sugar content, as well as its potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus content.
In May, the center had already studied Sochi bananas harvested at an earlier stage of ripeness. At that time, the magnesium content in the domestic fruit was almost twice as high as in imported analogues.
The bananas are grown as part of the project of the ANO “Academy for the Development of Subtropical Agriculture”, and the main production site is the greenhouse complex of the peasant farm “100 Hectares” in Sochi. The plantation includes about 300 plants planted in August 2025, and it grows the Grand Nain and Cavendish varieties, which are widely represented on the Russian market and are mainly supplied from Ecuador.
Breeding crops adapted to local conditions is handled by the Research Institute of Agriculture of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia. Currently, 120 plants are bearing fruit, another 45 are in the flowering stage, and yields are planned to increase as the plantation develops.
At the farm, they expect that the first stem yields about 10–15 kg of fruit, the second — 30–35 kg, and subsequent ones can provide a harvest of over 50 kg. For greenhouse cultivation in winter, the temperature is kept at 20–22 degrees, and humidity is maintained by fine mist and drip irrigation systems.
At the same time, specialists are testing different substrate compositions: eight dwarf Cavendish plants are grown in 200-liter containers with four variants of soil mixtures, which include local soil, zoohumus, rice husks, black earth, and sand. The first batch of bananas is planned to be sold in limited quantities on the territory of the greenhouse complex, and the decision on supplies to retail chains will be made after production increases.
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