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Rana spent two decades of his youth as a welder in India. He started vegetable farming around seven years ago. “The income from farming has been better than what I used to make in India,” he said.
Rana has hired two farm hands to help him. “Besides one daily meal, I pay them Rs12,000 each a month,” he said. According to Rana, he makes a profit of Rs600,000 yearly.
Rana’s home is a collection centre for vegetables produced by local farmers. “We collect vegetables twice a week,” he said. “Then Paicho takes them away.”
Thulapokhara at Chhatrakot-1 is a vegetable production centre. Around 500 households in the area are involved in vegetable farming, according to local residents.
Bhuwan Kharal, 29, is among the highest earners in the area. “I produce vegetables worth Rs5 million annually,” said Kharal.
Chhatrakot Rural Municipality has prioritised the use of modern technology, according to Kharal. Every household has built plastic tunnels and uses mulching techniques.
Kharal grows vegetables on 80 ropanis. “Besides this, I am about to start a vegetable farm on 400 ropanis at Argheli in Palpa district,” he said.
“While tomatoes and chillies used to be produced in large quantities in the past, red turnip, cucumber, cauliflower and cabbage are also produced these days,” he added.
Kharal, who has a bachelor’s degree in education, had once made up his mind to go abroad to earn more. “But when I saw my elder brother flourishing on the farm, I changed my mind,” he said.
Paicho provides technical assistance to farmers, according to Kharal. “Technicians from Paicho visit us regularly,” he said.
Kharal produces 80 tonnes of tomatoes, 30 tonnes of chillies, 20 tonnes of cauliflowers and 10 tonnes of red turnips annually.
Farmers in many districts still rely on rainwater for irrigation. “We need irrigation facilities,” said Kharal.
According to Paicho, it has mobilised 16 technicians, including a graduate in agriculture, with different areas of expertise to assist the farmers across the district.
“Our technicians help farmers at every stage from planting to harvesting,” said Dhruba Neupane, managing director of Paicho Pasal.
“We have signed contracts with farmers to buy their produce since market access is equally important. We run a collection centre in every village. The farmers are paid instantly.”
Farmers in Gulmi produce vegetables worth Rs230 million every year, according to Navaraj Bhandari, chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in the district.
Commercial vegetable farming is done on 960 hectares. The 5,000 tunnels or greenhouses cover an area of 30 hectares. Chhatrakot, Rurukshetra, Satyawati, Chandrakot and Kaligandaki rural municipalities, and Resunga and Musikot municipalities are pocket areas for vegetables.
While vegetables worth Rs127.5 million are sold in other districts, crops worth Rs102.5 million are consumed locally.
“Around 11,503 tonnes of vegetables are produced in the district every year,” said Bhandari. “There are 49,965 commercial vegetable farmers.”
Kathmandu Post
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