Arun Yadav
Rajbiraj, 16 Oct: Farmers in eastern part of Saptari district have faced devastation in their banana plantation after floods on September 27-28 destroyed their crops. In Bhardaha alone, floods wiped out banana farm across 500 bighas of land.
The overflowing Saptakoshi river floodwater submerged ripening bananas in the fields, toppling and destroying the crops. This has left farmers who rely on banana farming in distress.
The farmers, who were preparing to sell their bananas, have suffered losses worth millions of rupees due to the untimely flooding.
Bilakxan Khang of Bhaluwa in Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality-1, who planted banana crops on 10 katthas of land, said that the floods from the Koshi River have caused him a loss of millions.
“I planted around 200 banana plants in 10 katthas of land, but now they are drying up in the field due to floodwater,” Khang said. He was supporting a family of nine with the income from banana plantation. With the destruction of the crops just before they were ready for sale, Khang is now forced to consider alternative ways to sustain his family.
Khang had planned to sell bananas during the Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals in markets such as Kanchanpur, Rupnagar, Hanumannagar, and Bhardaha, just as he did the previous year. “Floods have ruined all my plans,” he shared. After the banana farm submerged in mudwater, they began rotting in the field, he added.
Similarly, farmer Shovananda Yadav, who had cultivated bananas on seven bighas of land, saw his entire crop destroyed by the floods. “If the government does not provide relief and compensation, the farmers here will have no option but to leave,” he said. Having taken a loan from the bank to invest in banana farming, Yadav now faces difficulty in repaying both the interest and the capital.
Banana cultivation in Koshi Palar of Hanumannagar Kankalini-1 has been completely wiped out by the floods. One hundred and five farmers were leasing land for banana cultivation there. Dinesh Kumar Raut of Sakardahi in Hanumannagar Kankalini-2 had cultivated bananas on 10 bighas of land by the western side of Koshi River. Now, he is deeply concerned after losing everything to the floods.
“I was hoping to make a substantial income by selling bananas during Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath, but disaster struck before Dashain,” Raut said. “The income from banana farming was supposed to fund my children’s education and cover household expenses, but the floods have destroyed everything.” Although the floodwaters have receded, banana plants remain scattered and rotting in the fields.
Asha Kumari Mandal of Bhardaha-1 had planted bananas on 15 katthas of land, which the floods destroyed. She and her six sisters had invested together in banana farming. With the crops destroyed, they have lost their investment. Mandal, who relied on the income from banana farming to support her family, now faces difficulty in feeding them.
“We had leased the land for Rs 30,000 to grow bananas, but after the crops were destroyed, we are not even in a position to pay the rent,” she said. Mandal had hoped to earn an income by selling bananas at the local bazaar at Kankalini Bhagwati Temple during Dashain, but the floods dashed her hopes.
Ramdev Mandal of Bhardaha-1 lost his banana cultivation on 50 katthas of land to the Koshi River floods. Now, he is worried about how he will repay the loan he took from a moneylender. Bhagawati Prasad Mandal is in a similar situation. “I planted bananas on 10 katthas, but everything is gone. This year, we won’t be able to celebrate Tihar or Chhath properly, just like Dashain. It’s hard to even manage daily expenses,” he lamented.
Indradev Logi, who previously earned substantial income by selling bananas, is now searching for alternative sources of income. Ramchandra Thakur of Bhaluwa, who used to support his household expenses through banana farming, said it costs over Rs 200,000 to cultivate bananas on one bigha of land.
With the loss of millions of rupees due to the floods, local farmers are likely to lose interest in banana farming. Farmers have complained that they have not received any relief from any authority so far.
Earlier, they had also suffered huge losses when strong winds in the month of Baishak this year knocked down their banana crops. #banana #disaster #flood #nepal #rss
