Phitsanulok Sun-Dried Banana City Festival Hosts Namwa Banana Contest on 28 October 2026

The Bang Krathum District Agricultural Office, led by Ms Namphueng Thongdee, Bang Krathum District Agricultural Officer, along with office staff, organised a contest for mature green Mali Ong Namwa banana bunches on 28 October 2026 at the Bang Krathum District Office grounds in Phitsanulok Province. This activity is a key part of the Sun-Dried Banana City Festival (BANANA FESTIVAL 2027) for the 2027 fiscal year, held from 28 October to 3 November 2026, offering farmers and interested participants the opportunity to enter their produce in a quality competition to promote tourism and drive the grassroots economy.

The Sun-Dried Banana City Festival aims to promote the signature products of Bang Krathum District to a wider audience. The event brings together tourist attractions, OTOP products, Geographical Indication (GI) products, and processed sun-dried banana products from housewives' groups and community enterprises. In addition, it helps generate income for the community while sustainably preserving culture and passing on local wisdom to the younger generation.

Role of the Mali Ong Namwa Banana Contest in Economic and Community Development

The contest for mature green Mali Ong Namwa banana bunches tangibly raises the standard of agricultural produce in the area. The judging panel evaluates entries based on fruit fullness, alignment, size, seedless characteristics, and peel thickness. These criteria encourage farmers to pay close attention to variety selection, plot maintenance, and banana plantation management to meet the standards required by the processing market.

At the same time, this activity helps preserve the identity of the Mali Ong Namwa banana, which is the primary raw material used to produce Bang Krathum District's GI sun-dried bananas. The benefits of holding the contest cover five key dimensions as follows:

• Raising produce quality: Encourages farmers to improve banana plantation management to meet the standards required by the processing market.
• Preserving local variety identity: Supports the cultivation of Mali Ong Namwa bananas for processing into sun-dried bananas, which are a GI product of Bang Krathum District.
• Promoting the grassroots economy: Provides a platform to publicise the produce of farmers, housewives' groups, and community enterprises to connect them with processing operators in the market.
• Stimulating local tourism: Attracts tourists to visit the event, purchase OTOP products, and support local community goods.
• Passing on wisdom to the younger generation: Instils pride in the agricultural profession and sustainably transfers knowledge of banana cultivation and processing.

Judging Results of the Mature Green Mali Ong Namwa Banana Bunch Contest

Several local farmers submitted high-quality produce to compete in this contest. The award winners judged by the Bang Krathum District Agricultural Office are as follows:

• First Prize (1st Place): Mr Winai Kaewkamphon, Moo 1, Sanam Khli Subdistrict
• First Runner-Up (2nd Place): Mrs Sukanya Thapthimthong, Moo 9, Phai Lom Subdistrict
• Second Runner-Up (3rd Place): Mr Theeraphong Sin-amphon, Moo 2, Noen Kum Subdistrict

This news is suitable for tourists seeking agritourism destinations and looking to purchase OTOP products or GI sun-dried bananas in Phitsanulok Province. It is also useful for event organisers and food processing operators looking to source high-quality raw materials directly from farmer groups and community enterprises, while local hotel staff can recommend this festival to guests to help promote local tourism.