Pokhara : Kaligandaki rural municipality of Syangja has made banana food varieties compulsory once a week. The rural municipality has decided to make the use of banana items mandatory at the canteens of the office of the rural municipality, Kaligandaki hospital, ward offices and schools on Wednesday every week, informed Kaligandaki Rural Municipality’s Chairperson Khim Bahadur Thapa.

After attending the training imparted by the rural municipality, the local farmers have been manufacturing handicraft items from the waste raw materials of bananas. He shared that the decision was made to consume banana production within the rural municipality by emphasizing the local residents as consumers. “The rural municipality’s decision has become a medium of self-employment for all”, he said. According to the recent decision of the rural municipality’s executive, the measure was taken to incentivize banana farming and facilitate farmer’s easy access to the market, chairperson Thapa said.

He expressed his confidence that the decision would motivate and facilitate banana farmers. Chief Administrative Officer of Kaligandai, Devendra Pandey informed that the programme would be implemented in the designated areas from coming Wednesday. He said a circular has been sent to all concerned offices to prepare and serve banana items each Wednesday. Pandey informed that various items, including sel roti, pakauda, pickle and chukauni in the first phase. “We would start the program from the canteen of the rural municipality and Kaligandaki hospital.

Later it would be expanded in ward offices, schools, and mid-day meal programme”, he said. The rural municipality has made a plan to impart training to the kitchen masters of all hotels, canteens, and hostels operational in the rural municipality. Earlier, the rural municipality had provided training on handicrafts manufacturing training to the local people with a view to generating employment in each household.