Banana crop losses mount in India as storm uproots over 15,000 plants

On the night of May 27, strong winds uprooted more than 15,000 banana plantains in Theethipalayam and Kuppanur villages, located in Perur taluk of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India. This follows an earlier incident last week, where over 60,000 plants were damaged in a similar storm in Annur taluk.

The affected banana plants were at the harvest stage, leading to substantial financial losses for local growers. Farmers say the current government compensation of ₹17,500 per hectare (~$210) — equivalent to roughly ₹6 per plant (~$0.07) — is far below actual losses, with production costs alone reaching ₹300 per plant (~$3.60).

According to producers, a banana seedling costs ₹25 (~$0.30), and the market price per mature bunch is currently between ₹750 and ₹800 (~$9.00–$9.60)

Farmer representatives have called for field inspections by the horticulture and revenue departments and requested that the state release additional support from the Disaster Management Fund.

Officials from the Horticulture Department confirmed that the current compensation amount follows a standing government order. While they acknowledged the farmers' concerns, any increase in relief payments would require a policy-level decision by the state government.

source: newindianexpress.com

photo: english.aarthiknews.com