A 30-year-old teenager arrives in Israel from Jhapa to receive training in banana farming. After returning from training for a year, he starts banana farming in the village. With his encouragement, others also start banana farming and the entire rural municipality gets a new identity as 'Banana Block'.
Chandra Prasad Basnet, a young man from Jhapa Rural Municipality-3 Rangpur, has become the hero of this success story. He is an example of how a young person can change the identity of a village if he dares.
After going south from Surunga Bazar of Jhapa under East-West Highway, you will reach Rangpur village of Jhapa Rural Municipality. Chandraprasad is a member of that village. He is now a leading farmer who has passed 34 years of age. He is the first person to start commercial banana farming in Jhapa Rural Municipality.
Last year, Rangpur village was declared the banana block area of the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project. Bista informed that now Agricultural Knowledge Center Jhapa is providing various support based on the needs of the farmers there.
In 2074/075, he went to Israel to receive training from the Taghandubba Community Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative under the 'Learn and Earn' (Learning and Earning) program, according to the agreement between the Small Farmer Development Microfinance Financial Institution and the Government of Israel. After returning from Israel, Chandra started banana farming by registering a company named Agri Center Jhapa in 2076.
As soon as he returned from Israel, at first, Chandra planted 10 paddy fields around his house and planted 1000 banana plants. It has been expanded to 25 bighas now. For banana cultivation, he owns a small amount of land and rents a lot of it. At the time of renting, he chose barren land along the banks of the river. Because such land was relatively cheap. Now he has succeeded in growing thousands of Ghari bananas on that land.
About 50,000 ghari bananas are produced in a year. So far, good earnings are being made," says Chandra. "Even during the lockdown, there was no problem." He said that since banana cultivation is more profitable than rice, corn and other grain crops, he is going to expand cultivation to 20 bighas from this year.
He has cultivated William hybrid, Malvog, G nine as well as red banana. The main market for these bananas is Kathmandu. Along with that, traders from Birtamod, Damak, Surunga and Itahari also buy bananas from him. "So far, there is no problem in the market, it seems that no matter how much we produce, we can consume it," said Basnet.
He says that modern technology and local manpower are used in banana cultivation. He said that although technology is used in mining, mining, irrigation, etc., other work is done by people.
Those who come to work have certain responsibilities, but there is no fixed time to work. Those who come at any time, no matter how much work they do. Attendance arrangements have been made for the workers. Attendance is mandatory when coming to work and returning from work. Chandra said that workers are paid on an hourly basis.
"On the basis of hours, skilled workers are paid 20-50 rupees more than others, ordinary workers are paid less than that," he said.
He works as an equal with other workers. "I live with them, eat with them and work together," he says.
He says that only organic fertilizers and pesticides are used in banana cultivation. A concrete structure has been built inside the garden to make compost for the bananas. Old banana plants and leaves are buried in the same hole to make fertilizer and use it. He said that when it is not enough, he buys more compost.
