Pune, Oct. 8 -- Wholesale banana prices have fallen to their lowest levels in drought-hit Jalgaon, Maharashtra's largest banana-producing district, amid export disruptions to conflict-hit West Asia. Inferior-quality produce is fetching as little as Rs.5 per kg, and better-quality is selling for about Rs.11 per kg. Officials said export disruption is among the reasons for the price decline, as Iran is a major importer of bananas from Jalgaon. The scanty rainfall in September affected the quality. The crash has pushed some farmers into distress. In Sule village, farmer Vishnu Samadhan Ingle destroyed his four-acre banana plantation with a rotavator after traders offered him only Rs.3 a kg for his crop. Ingle spent over Rs.7 lakh on the plantation and said he chose to destroy the crop rather than sell it at a price that would not cover his costs. "The traders were offering me only Rs.3 a kg. It is meaningless to sell it at such a low price. The bananas had started ripening, so I destroyed the entire plantation," Ingle said. Jalgaon district collector Rohan Ghuge said, "The administration will ascertain the reasons for the sudden crash in banana prices. I know Ingle has destroyed his plantation. We will speak to the farmer." Farmers accused traders of taking advantage of the situation to bargain aggressively. Farmer Ramdas Patil said drought added to the pressure on growers. "Since the entire district has been declared drought-hit, many farmers are resorting to distress selling. There is uncertainty over how much cultivation they will be able to undertake because of water scarcity," Patil said....