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The buckwheat harvest season has begun in the Tsum valley of northern Gorkha. According to local resident Pasang Phunjo Lama, farmers in Chhekampar, located at an altitude of 3,000 to 3,500 meters, are now busy bringing in their crops.

The main crops of Chhekampar in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-7 are wheat, buckwheat, and potatoes. Wheat was harvested about a month ago, and now it is time for buckwheat. “Wheat takes 11 months to ripen, while buckwheat ripens in six,” says Lama, who is also the outgoing ward chairman. “We don’t cultivate the same crop in the same field every year. That’s why we rotate between wheat, potatoes, and buckwheat. If we plant buckwheat one year, we plant wheat for the next three years, and then buckwheat again.”

This year’s buckwheat yield has been excellent, he says. “Even when preparing dhindo, if you mix two parts wheat flour with one part buckwheat flour, it tastes delicious.”

Locals claim that buckwheat grown in the high Himalayan climate is of superior quality and even medicinal. Lamas in major monasteries in Kathmandu are known to buy flour from here, which sells for 120 rupees per gram. “This flour is believed to help with diabetes and jaundice,” Lama adds. “Since there is no motorable road to the village, orders from Kathmandu are sent either by helicopter or mule. We also feed buckwheat flour to yaks and cows, as it is considered medicinal for them too.” 

Once the season begins, farmers from Chhekam, Paro, Jong Ngakyu, Leru, Lamagaun, Burji, Lar, Phurpe, Chhule, and Nile villages take turns harvesting buckwheat through a traditional system of rotation. In recent years, however, some have also started using machines brought from Tibet. “This year, we too harvested with the help of such machines,” Lama says.

Non-life insurance companies have received a total of 1,984 claims due to arson and vandalism during the GenZ protest in Kathmandu and different parts of the country on Sept 8 and 9. Government offices, business establishments and private homes were torched and vandalized after security personnel used excessive force to disperse protesters. A total of 74 people died in different parts of the country during the protest. Hotel Hilton Kathmandu has said that it alone suffered damages worth Rs 8bn.

Hundreds of government and private vehicles were torched and vandalized in those two days. According to the Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA), the estimated value of these claims is around Rs 20.7bn. Fourteen non-life insurance companies and four non-life microinsurance companies have received claims for losses during the GenZ protest.

Seven companies have received claims worth more than a billion rupees each, while the rest have claims below that threshold, according to the NIA. The unusual circumstances created by the protests have placed heavy compensation obligations on insurers.

Among individual insurers, Shikhar Insurance has received the highest number of claims so far, with 366 cases amounting to Rs 2.39bn. However, in terms of value, The Oriental Insurance and Siddhartha Premier Insurance top the list. Oriental has registered 40 claims totaling Rs 5.14bn, while Siddhartha has logged 258 claims worth Rs 4.93bn.

Other major insurers by claim value include IME Prudential Insurance with 24 claims amounting to Rs 1.59bn and Sagarmatha Lumbini Insurance with 233 claims worth Rs 1.47bn. Together, the top five insurers account for a significant portion of the total claims. Among microinsurers, Protective Microinsurance tops the list with nine claims totaling Rs 113m, followed by Star Microinsurance with six claims worth Rs 67m. Similarly, Nepal Microinsurance has received 15 claims worth Rs 56m, while Trust Microinsurance has the smallest exposure, with eight claims totaling Rs 42m.

An official at the NIA said the regulator has instructed insurance companies to ensure timely settlement of claims for policyholders affected by the exceptional circumstances.

Tikapur, known across Nepal for its bananas and banana-based dishes, is now producing cloth from discarded banana husks. Bananas from the region are supplied to cities including Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar, Surkhet, Butwal, and Kathmandu.

For the past 15 years, agrotourism entrepreneur Kalu Hamal, popularly called the ‘Banana King’, has been serving more than 42 banana-based dishes in Tikapur. Alongside, women in the area are turning waste from the 875 hectares of banana farms in Kailali into fiber and fabric.

Members of the Dhansinghpur Ekta Samaj Savings and Loan Cooperative in Batanpur, Tikapur-8, have been trained to extract fiber from banana husks for the past two years. “We use banana fibers to make hats, bags, pen holders, clothes, and mats,” said local resident Kamala Saud. “The cooperative sells us the fiber and helps market the products we make.”

Currently, five women from the cooperative produce banana-fiber handicrafts, while nine weave fabric. Shakuntala Chaudhary of Tikapur-7 said they blend banana fiber with cotton yarn to make cloth on looms. “We received a 50 percent subsidy on looms, and the cooperative facilitates sales,” she said. “Banana fabric from here is even reaching Kathmandu.”

Cooperative manager Ramkrishna Chaudhary explained that 10 banana stems yield one kilogram of fiber, enough to make up to 15 hats. Handicrafts sell for Rs 50 to 1,000, while banana fabric is priced at Rs 300–350 per meter. Farmers, who previously struggled with waste management, now provide stems free of cost. “The women earn directly from their products, while farmers find it easier to manage stalks,” he said.

Ward Chairperson Dirgha Bahadur Thakulla highlighted how the initiative has created self-employment. “This has supported both farm management and women’s income generation,” he said.

Experts also see broader benefits. Ritambhar Ghimire, Associate Professor of Horticulture at Tikapur’s School of Agriculture, said, “Banana is called Kalpavriksha, a multipurpose plant. Producing fiber from stalks not only eases post-harvest management but also contributes to environmental protection. The machine residue can be used as organic fertilizer, and banana fiber is emerging as an alternative to cotton.”

The movement has already reached Kathmandu. Divya Tara Tuladhar, who has been making banana-stalk fabric for 15 years and serves as Vice-president of the Nepal Handicraft Federation, operates Annapurna Handicraft in the capital. She trains producers across the Tarai, purchases fiber from Tikapur, and exports banana products to Germany, the US, and Australia. “The demand for natural fiber clothing is growing abroad,” she said, adding that banana-fiber garments also have health benefits.

Business leaders from the private sector have vowed revival, while expressing sorrow over the loss in the industrial and commercial enterprises during the Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9. 

During a meeting with Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Sunday, the business leaders mentioned that they would rise again with new vigour. 

The private sector witnessed a serious setback from vandalism and arson, President of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Chandra Prasad Dhakal said. 

"As per the preliminary estimates, the total damage is around Rs 80 billion to Rs 100 billion. But, we will not remain idle by being disappointed, and will rise again," Dhakal said.  He shared that vandalism and arson are not merely impacts of the protests. The lootings and arson were carried out deliberately, he asserted, demanding that those involved in vandalism and arson must be booked immediately.

Also speaking at the event, Chair of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries Birendra Raj Pandey stated that the private sector has suffered the worst in every movement. "Against this context, special subsidy and concessional loans are needed to boost up confidence of the private sector," Pandey reminded. 

Likewise, Chair of the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries Umesh Singh, informed that almost 500,000 small and cottage industries out of total 900,000 in the country were not renewed and asked to waive off the renewal fees for once for such industries.    

Similarly, President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Kamalesh Agrawal, suggested that the government that it unveiled a special integrated security plan to safeguard industrial property and develop confidence for investment. He was of the view that the current situation has marred both the investors and industrialists.

On the occasion, President of the Federation of Constrictor's Association of Nepal, Rabi Singh, viewed that this government should initiate a campaign for a corruption-free environment in the country along with the preparations for elections.