Dang. Rana Prasad Subedi, a resident of Sisahaniya in Rapti Rural Municipality-7, has been commercially engaged in banana farming for the past seven years. This year, however, Subedi is worried about the problem in the sale of bananas. He started banana farming in 2 bigha of land and now he is cultivating banana in 54 bigha of land. He said that the income has decreased this year due to the decay of bananas rotting in the field without being sold.

Subedi, a farmer, said that the bananas were being sold at Rs 120 more in the market, but they did not take it even after paying Rs 25 per dozen. “This year, the business has collapsed due to the lack of sale of bananas, but when the bananas are not sold, the bananas will be wasted on the plant,” he said. According to him, the local products did not get market as wholesalers imported bananas from India at a cheaper price.

According to him, the finished bananas are in a state of waste and they do not even want to go to the farm when the traders do not come to sell them. According to him, the government used to provide employment to 35 locals on a regular basis in the past years, but now there are only 15 workers.

Subedi, who is also the chairperson of Rapti Banana Promotion Farmers’ Group, said that although he had been saving up to Rs 30 million in the previous years, this year he is facing losses. A total of 18 banana farmers from Rapti Rural Municipality-7 are affiliated to the Rapti Banana Promotion Farmers’ Group. He estimates that he will earn Rs 10 lakh less this year due to problems in the sale of bananas.

Fruits are sold in large quantities from Haritalika Teej to Chhath festival. Bananas are sold more in it. Another farmer, Tirtha Gyawali, said that most of the bananas produced during the festival season have started rotting in the field as they could not find market.

He has been commercially cultivating bananas on 50 katthas of land. He said that there is a plan to do ‘door to door selling’ after there is a problem in the sale of bananas. He said that the traders themselves will give it to the locals at the price and sell it at every house. According to him, bananas produced here could not find market after the imported bananas were imported from the Indian market at a cheaper price every day.

Similarly, Gayatri Chaudhary, a resident of Sisahaniya, said that there is no sale of bananas. He said that the bananas produced from banana farming on two bigha of land have started rotting in the field as they are not sold. Chaudhary said that even though the bananas were ready for sale, they could not sell them due to lack of price. He said, “Traders are paying Rs 20 for a dozen, so the investment is not raised, how to sell

it?”

According to him, millions of rupees will be lost due to lack of space for local production due to Indian banana. Malbhog, Harisal, Sugar, Banana, among other varieties are cultivated in 600 bighas of land in Dang.

Depending on the variety of banana, the farmer invests 250 to 500 rupees in a banana plant. Banana farmers have demanded that the government should guarantee the market by fixing the support price of the locally produced bananas.