The Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project has declared Chitwan as a superzone for banana cultivation. Along with this, the government project has announced 22 superzones for agriculture across the country. Banana superzone has been announced for the first time.

There is a policy to declare a superzone for agricultural produce cultivated on more than 1,000 hectares of land . One thousand eight hundred hectares of land in Chitwan has been listed in Banana Super Zone.

In July, we announced SuperZone . Superzone operation committee has also been formed on Friday," said Indra Dhungana, agricultural officer of the project implementation unit in Bharatpur, Chitwan of the project. Fish, bee, vegetable and rice zones are operating in Chitwan.

This is the first time bananas have been listed in Superzone. After the declaration of superzone, agricultural production should be increased in a self-sufficient manner. To modernize the agricultural sector, the government has started the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project about 9 years ago with the plan to increase production, make marketing plans and commercialize and transform it into an industry by arranging tools and advanced seed plants. A banana zone was declared in Chitwan in fiscal year 075/76.

The government has planned activities for the development of the agricultural sector by declaring a pocket area if the agricultural produce occupies 10 hectares, a block if it is 100 hectares, a zone if it is 500 hectares and a superzone above 1000 hectares. After the announcement of the banana zone, various plans were launched to increase production, modernize and expand the market. After that, there is a possibility to move on to industrialization," Dhungana said.

There was an outbreak of Panama disease in Kerakheti in Chitwan. Banana farmers were very worried about this disease that appeared in bananas of the Malbhog variety. As an alternative to that, Agriculture Officer Dhungana informed that a lot of work has been done through the zone to develop banana cultivation of G-Nine varieties. In addition to this, we have helped in irrigation. Banana cooking chambers were available without harmful chemicals, he said.

After becoming a superzone, he said that he thought of making other dishes and industrial products from bananas. Now the banana plant is wasting away. We are planning to extract the fiber from it and process the fiber and open an industry to make sanitary pads," said Agriculture Officer Dhungana. In Chitwan, more than two thousand hectares of land have been cultivating bananas. Among them, more than 225 farmers who cultivate 1,850 hectares of land as cooperatives, groups and individuals are listed in Superzone.

'In Chitwan, bananas are sold for around two billion rupees a year. We are independent but there are many problems. Now at least there is a need to take a leap in commercialization and industrialization . In the Super Zone, we will bring such plans,' said Bishnuhari Pant, coordinator of the Super Zone Steering Committee. He said that it is necessary to manage plants of advanced varieties of bananas as well as competent technicians.

He said that if the industries making various banana dishes are established, along with the increase in the production, the consumption will also increase and the farmers will be able to benefit. After the superzone, the farmers of the western region of Chitwan have also been listed. Yagya Prasad Subedi Laxman, who is cultivating bananas on more than 45 bighas of land in Jagatpur, says that it is essential to establish an industry that makes many dishes and items without processing bananas.