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.