The research was conducted on Banjar Harjo,
Ketapang - South Lampung. The research had
been conducted for 3 years from 2002 till 2004
involved 4 farmers as cooperators. Each farmer
managed 0.5 hectare and half of it was
cultivated as a farmers’ method plot and another
as a banana production management improvements’
(BPMI) method plot. Under BPMI was
introduced utilizing a healthy seedling, arranging
planting distance, using inorganic and organic
manure, controlling Panama disease with
Trichoderma spp., permitting only four suckers to
grow up until harvesting, using bunch wrapping to
improve fruit quality and sanitizing environment.
Under BPMI, the raja nangka plantain yield in the
3rd year was 47 ton/ha, meanwhile under farmers’
method was only 20 ton/ha. An economic analysis
result showed the B/C under farmers’ method was
better due to low production cost, but based on the
sustainability and the profitability however, banana
farming under BPMI was much better.