Kathmandu. Heavy rain last week has destroyed banana farms in different parts of Jhapa. Banana plantation was done in 1,918 hectares of land in Jhapa this year. According to preliminary estimates, Rs 21,286,292 has been damaged due to wind and rain. According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre, banana cultivation planted in 29.97 hectares of land has been completely destroyed.

Banana farms in Jhapa rural municipality, Barhadashi rural municipality and Kankai municipality were badly damaged due to storm and rainfall, said Sagar Bista, chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Jhapa.

Commercial banana farming is done in ward 3 and 6 of Jhapa rural municipality, 33 bighe area of Barhadashi rural municipality-7 and Kankai municipality-5. According to the Agriculture Knowledge Center, 29 of the affected areas. Banana plantation planted in 97 hectares of land has been completely destroyed. The farmers have suffered huge financial loss as the banana trees were destroyed after the storm uprooted them.

According to Bista, banana farming cultivated in one hectare of land in ward no. 3 of Jhapa rural municipality has been completely destroyed. It has damaged 20.1 metric tons of production.

The highest number of damages occurred in Ba3 bigha area of Barhadashi rural municipality-7. The area is 25. Banana cultivation in 5 hectares of land has been affected and 512.55 metric tons of production has been damaged, according to preliminary estimates.

Banana farming in two hectares of land at Kankai municipality-5 has been damaged by the storm. The production from that field is 40. According to the data of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, 2 metric tonnes of bananas were destroyed.

Chandra Basnet and Puja Khanal, farmers of Jhapa Rural Municipality-3, have cultivated banana in 12 bigha of land. Farmers are facing more problems due to the damage caused to banana farming. According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, most of the farmers are unlikely to get compensation as they do not have crop insurance.

In the fiscal year 2082÷83, banana was cultivated in 1,910 hectares of land in Jhapa. From this area, 388,310. It produced 2 metric tonnes of bananas.