Raj Kumar Parajuli

Kavre, March 12:

The District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), Kavre has stated that the annual potato harvest of the district amounts to 81,000 metric tonnes worth Rs 300m which is five per cent

of the total national potato production. DADO added vegetables produced in Kavre cover 30 per cent of the capital’ total consumption. The DADO added Kavre’s potatoes find a place in markets of Kalimati, Tukucha of the capital along with Birtamod, Biratnagar, Dharan, Janakpur, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Narayangadh and also in the cities of Uttar Pradesh. The under-construction BP highway or Banepa-Sindhulichakra-Bardibas road has encouraged farmers around the Bhakundebesi area to opt for commercial potato farming.

Farmers can raise potato harvest thrice a year in Magh/Falgun, Baishakh/Jestha and in Asoj/Kartik. During Asoj/Kartik season, potato is sold at the rate of Rs 25-35 a kg, but in other seasons, the price is around Rs 10 per kg.

The agro-technicians of the area say the main reason for farmers’ preference for the crop is that it is relatively easy to grow potatoes and also is a lucrative cash crop. Shiva Prasad Dahal, a farmer from Nala area, admits that the crop had changed farmers’ life for the better, adding he took up potato farming after the DADO introduced a special plan on potato farming. The DADO figure shows that 9,000 metric tonnes of potatoes is produced in Nala area. Similarly, in Panauti area, the production is at 5,000 metric tonnes. Panchkhal and Kuntabesi areas export 20,000 metric tonnes of potato each year. After the announcement of potato pocket area, the sole source of income of people of Panchkhal and Mahadevsthan has been potato farming but they plant it only once a year. The farmers of Nala and Panauti plant it twice a year.

Sudarshan Adhikari, a potato farmer from Panchkhal-9 says, rumours of another indefinite bandh have made farmers dig up potatoes 20 days earlier. He said the product that could have been sold at Rs 12 per kg if they were harvested at the right time, is now yielding only seven rupees a kg. The dip in the price is said to have affected those farmers who had borrowed loan from DADO and other organisations. A worried farmer from Baluwa-3 Ratna Bahadur Danuwar said he would suffer a great loss as he just managed to get Rs 45,000 which is Rs 5,000 less than his investment. The agriculture office recommends several varieties of potatoes depending on the climate of a given place, but the mostly used species are Kufrijyoti, NPI 116, Dajier and Janak Dev. DADO said life ahead for the local farmers will be smooth, because the local market for the product is increasing and also because of the two cold storages that have already been constructed in the district. But there is a complaint of unavailability of seeds on time. Despite being the top producer of potato in the country, production here could still go up by 40 per cent if farmers can select the right seed and use chemical and organic fertilizers properly. The DADO estimates production could cross the 100,000 metric tonnes mark in the next 10 years.