Phailin destroys over 70% banana fruit in its hub area

Cyclone Phailin has ruined more than 70% of banana fruit in Bihar's Vaishali district, hub of cultivation of the fruit located north of Ganga.

Initial reports suggest that more than 70% of the banana crop has been destroyed due to Phailin, District Agriculture Officer (DAO) Dinesh Prasad told PTI today.

The DAO said that to assess the actual damage to the cash crop, order has been passed today for conducting field wise survey.

The survey team has been given a week's time for submission of report after which decision to pay compensation to farmers would be taken by the government, he said.

The team comprising of officials and agriculture experts have been told to take photograph of the fields raged due to Phailin in the district, he said.

Prasad said that the high speed wind that accompanied rains for 48 hours on Sunday and Monday triggered by Phailin proved deadly for the banana trees which got uprooted prematurely.

Next to Brazil, India is the second largest banana producing country in the world.

Within the country Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal are producer of the fruit.

The banana crop is grown in around 2,000 hectares in the state in districts like Vaishali, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia.

Hajipur "chiniya" variety of banana is very famous in the country and is also exported.

The widespread damage to the banana crop is expected to spike the price of the fruit during time of auspicious Chhath festival.