Beni, February 23

Local farmers have started potato farming in the land that has remained barren for the past 20 years at Mareni. Ward No 2 of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality in Myagdi district.

A group of farmers cultivated potatoes in 44 ropani land by removing shrubs with the support of local Lagansheel Multipurpose Farmers' Group.

'A total of 18 farmers associated with the group have commercially engaged in the potato farming,' said the group's Chairperson Gausara BK.

'The group is working to expand the cultivation to 100 ropani land at Mareni, Paireni and Lamsung this year,' he said.

'Farmers have planted potato by taking 44 ropani land on lease at Mareni,' he added.

'Potato cultivation has taken place across the pocket area of the rural municipality,' said Amrit Thapa, technical assistant at the agriculture section of the rural municipality. 'The land that had remained barren for long has changed after cultivating potato. Local farmers have been encouraged to continue the farming. It will help generate incomes for them,' he said.

The rural municipality has allocated Rs 1.2 million under the programme in the current fiscal 2022-23.

Of the total applicants under the programme, the group at Ward No 2 of the rural municipality and the agriculture, medicinal herb and livestock farmers' group at Ward No 6 of the rural municipality have been selected. The selected applicants will get Rs 600,000 each under the programme, according to the agriculture section at the rural municipality.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 24, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.