For a state that consumes nearly Rs 500 crore worth of bananas every year - one of the highest in the country - it is no mean achievement that it is now growing its own bananas and that too king-size. What started as a small attempt in some of the districts of the state such as Ludhiana and Mohali in 2006, after farmers and scientists from Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) went to Terai area of Uttaranchal to get tips on banana cultivation, is now spreading across the central and southern parts of the state. While Punjab claims its fruit is sweeter and better, for farmers such as Chamkaur Singh of Tohra village its sweetness has more to do with the good returns it is fetching. With just two acres of his land under banana cultivation, he has been able to earn Rs 1.25 lakh per acre. The fruit