Banana farms in Sunsari suffer heavy loss

By Jayakrishna Yadav,Inaruwa, Oct. 9: Continuous rainfall over the past few days, followed by floods and strong winds, has caused heavy damage to banana farms in Sunsari district. 

Farmers from various local levels reported that hundreds of bighas of banana plantations have been destroyed by the recent downpour and windstorm.

Shyam Yadav, a farmer from Babia in Inaruwa Municipality-9, said that the floods washed away banana plants cultivated on two bighas of leased land, causing a loss of around Rs. 700,000. 

He said farmers were disheartened as the banana plants, which usually yield fruit for three years once planted, were completely damaged by the floods and wind.

Farmers who had invested heavily in banana farming as a commercial venture said they were left in despair after the heavy rains on Friday and Saturday destroyed their crops.

In Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-2, several farmers reported huge losses. Ayub Miya, who has been engaged in banana farming for the past eight years, said his 3 bigha and 10 kathha plantation was completely damaged. 

He said he had invested around Rs. 1.3 million in the plantation, much of it borrowed from the bank, and employed five to six workers daily. “All my investment has been drowned by the rainwater,” he said.Similarly, another farmer from the same ward, Birendra Thakur, said that he invested Rs. 100,000 to plant bananas on seven kathhas of land, but the continuous rain and strong wind destroyed his crops in the very first year, leaving him disappointed.

Farmers in Sunsari, who have been involved in commercial farming of bananas and other crops, often suffer from natural disasters. Many are now losing hope after repeated damage of their crops.