Nine varieties,
not one.
Almost the entire world banana trade is a single variety. We source nine — Cavendish, Yelakki, Nendran, Red Banana and more — direct from farms across South India.
See our range
Union Plantain Mundy is a banana sourcing and supply business operating from the APMC Banana Market Yard at Binnypet, Bengaluru — one of South India's largest wholesale banana trading hubs.
The business is built on the trade knowledge of D. Ganesh, who entered the banana trade as a young man nearly four decades ago. Over those forty years on the floor at Binnypet, he developed a hands-on understanding of every link in the chain — reading fruit maturity at the farm gate, judging the ripening cycle, and knowing which growing pocket in which season produces the best fruit in each variety.
Ganesh oversees sourcing relationships with farming communities across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, and manages the daily flow of fruit through the stall to Bengaluru's retailers and institutional buyers.
The next generation of the business is led by Ramakrishnan G (Ram), who is extending its reach — building export partnerships and taking India's banana diversity to international markets.
Cavendish accounts for roughly 99% of the bananas that cross an international border. From Ecuador, from the Philippines, from Costa Rica — the fruit on offer is essentially the same.
India is the exception, and South India is where that diversity runs deepest. We trade across the full range every day, and know which grower, in which belt, in which season produces the best fruit in each one.
The world's trade-standard banana and the backbone of commercial volume. Uniform finger size, a thick skin that tolerates handling and transit, a predictable ripening response, and buyer familiarity in every market in the world.
Karnataka's signature premium banana. Short, plump, distinctly angular fingers with a thin skin and intensely sweet, aromatic flesh. The name comes from elaichi — cardamom — a reference to its fragrance.
Kerala's signature cultivar and the definitive South Indian cooking banana. Long, large, angular fingers with starchy flesh that holds its structure under heat — the raw material for Kerala banana chips and pazham pori fritters.
The most visually distinctive banana in commercial trade — deep maroon-purple skin ripening to a dusky red, with pale cream-pink flesh. Sweeter and denser than Cavendish, with a soft, almost custard-like texture.
| Robusta | Cavendish-group cultivar; large fingers, high yield; domestic commercial volume |
| Poovan | Small-to-medium, firm, slightly tangy; everyday table fruit across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka |
| Rasthali | Prized traditional table variety; thin skin, sweet aromatic flesh; commands a premium in South Indian markets |
| Karpuravalli | Robust, drought-tolerant cultivar; sweet with a distinctive aroma; also used for processing |
| Monthan | Culinary variety; starchy and firm, used almost exclusively for cooking |
We buy direct from growing communities across four South Indian states, working the same farming relationships year on year. Each variety has its own belt, its own season and its own growers — and knowing that map is the business.
Mysuru · Chikkamagaluru · Shivamogga · Hassan · Dakshina Kannada · Bagalkot
Theni · Tiruchirapalli · Erode · Dindigul
Thrissur · Palakkad · Wayanad — principally Nendran
Krishna · West Godavari · Chittoor · Anantapur
Sourcing across four states rather than one gives us continuity. When one belt is between cycles, weather-affected or in short supply, another is producing. That is the practical basis on which we can hold year-round availability across our main varieties — including the specialty cultivars that most traders handle only occasionally.
Operating from inside the yard gives us three things a distant trader cannot replicate: first sight of arriving fruit, direct relationships with the growers who supply it, and daily price discovery across every variety in the market.
India is the world's largest banana producer, accounting for roughly a quarter of global output — yet exports remain a very small fraction of the crop, and almost all of what does leave the country is Cavendish.
We think the more interesting opportunity is the fruit no other origin can offer. Our position in the Binnypet yard, and four decades of relationships across four states, means we can put together consignments of varieties that simply are not available elsewhere at commercial scale.
We would rather prove quality on a single trial shipment than make claims on paper. If you have a specification — variety, grade, finger length, colour stage, packing format — we will quote against it and ship a trial for you to assess on arrival.
Whether you are an importer exploring Indian-origin supply, a retailer seeking specialty varieties, or a distributor interested in a trial shipment — we would welcome a conversation.