Nepal: Ponds cleaned and bananas worth millions imported for Chhath festival

The ponds and river banks in the Terai and Kathmandu Valley are being cleaned and specially decorated for the Chhath festival. In the Kathmandu Valley, Kamalpokhari and Gaurighat along the Bagmati River are preferred locations for performing Chhath puja. In Madhesh Pradesh, popular sites include Ranighat, Nagawapokhari, Chhapakaiya Pokhari, and Dashrath Pokhari, where people gather to observe the festival.

This year, the main day of the Chhath festival falls on November 7. The government has also announced a public holiday to mark the occasion.

For this festive season, approximately 1.7 lakh kilograms of bananas, valued at INR 1.7 crore, have been imported into Nepal through the Raxaul border point. An additional 4,000 kilograms of bananas were imported through Bhitta Mod Point in Janakpur during the same period. Bananas are considered essential for those observing the Chhath festival.

Due to insufficient local production, there is a necessity to import them from neighboring India. Various varieties of bananas are brought to Janakpurdham from Assam, West Bengal, Hajipur, Thakurganj, and Champaran. The price of a single banana ranges from NPR 16 to 18 in the Kathmandu Valley. Traders have noted that the prices of bananas imported from India are lower than those produced in Nepal.