Banana production in Bardiya, Nepal, has increased, reducing and eventually replacing imports from India. Farmers' participation in banana cultivation rose after three local units were declared "Banana Zones" in the fiscal year 2021/22.
The initiative, launched under the Prime Minister's Agricultural Modernisation Project and now part of the National Agricultural Modernisation Program, has expanded the area under cultivation. Around 350 hectares are currently farmed commercially in Gulariya Municipality–1 to 9, Madhuwan Municipality–5 to 9, and Bansgadhi Municipality–1 to 3.
Farmers in the zone report improved returns. "The Banana Zone has given us considerable encouragement. Income is now satisfactory," said Kamal Gyawali, a farmer from Gulariya-4–4, who cultivates bananas on 12 bighas of land. Another farmer, Shambhu Adhikari, said that banana plants can yield returns for about five years after the first year of investment, which has drawn more growers to the crop.
Annual production in Bardiya is reported at around 17,517 tons. Traders now source bananas directly from farms rather than importing from India. Shankar Ghimire, a trader from Suhelwa, Gulariya–4, noted that locally produced bananas have longer storage potential compared to Indian bananas, which spoil more quickly.
According to Agricultural Officer Yubaraj BK of the National Agricultural Modernisation Office in Bardiya, the cultivated area has expanded rapidly since the Banana Zone designation. Locally grown bananas are sold in district markets including Gulariya, Sano Shree, Rajapur, Bhurigaun, Mainapokhar, and Bansgadhi, as well as in external markets such as Kohalpur, Surkhet, Dang, Pokhara, and Butwal.
Source: Rising Nepal