Animal insurance

PHALEBAS: Farmers in rural areas of Parbat have started insuring their animals to reduce the impact of risks associated with animal rearing. Local Development Fund, Parbat, introduced the animal insurance scheme in rural areas of Salija and Arther VDCs as a pilot project. The fund said the concept is new to farmers and it is hard to convince them to insure animals. In Salija, 75 buffaloes have been insured and more applications have come for insurance. Livestock Insurance Committee charges the farmers five per cent premium and pays up to 80 per cent of the price of a healthy animal in case of sudden, accidental death. With the insurance scheme coming into operation, farmers have started taking proper care of their animals. They now take the animals for health check-up every six months. In Arther VDC, 50 goats have been insured. However, the scheme faced hurdles after four insured goats died and the committee ran out of money to pay the insurance amount. — RSS

Milk money

MYAGDI: Farmers of a village in Myagdi, who had to struggle to eke out a living, have found a reason to cheer up, finally. They are making good money selling milk. Athunge village, located near district headquarters Benibazaar, sells 27,000 litres of milk and earns as much as Rs 945,000 every year. It all began after a milk collection centre began operating. “The village largely depends on dairy business, the main source of villagers’ livelihood,” said Kishwor Baniya, chief of the dairy collection centre. He said there are 25 farmers affiliated to the dairy centre. Earlier, farmers used to sell milk on a small scale. Availability of grazing land and the milk collection centre in their village has encouraged them to take up dairy farming. — RSS

Remittance up

TRISHULI: People from Nuwakot who are working abroad have been sending Rs 8 million remittance a day to their district. Over half a dozen financial institutions, which provide remittance services, said remittance has crossed Rs 8 million a day after Dashain festival began. Nepal Bank Ltd, Himalayan bank, Hamro Development Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Sangam Cooperative and Panchakanya Cooperative, among others, provide remittance service in association with different money transfer companies. Prasanna Sedhai, owner of Bhairabhi Money Transfer, which is IME’s local agent, said his office has been releasing Rs 1.5 million a day after mid-September. Hamro Money Transfer said it is receiving Rs 3 million remittance a day. — RSS

Chicks culled

CHITWAN: Chitwan District Livestock Service Office has destroyed some 4,600 chicks that were smuggled into Nepal from India. According to the office, the chicks were confiscated from Jyamire, the eastern belt of Chitwan on Sunday, and killed on the suspicion of bird flu. Lakhi Chand Saha of Parsa was arrested for smuggling in the chicks. He is under investigation. The government has banned the import of chickens from India following the death of many fowls due to bird flu in India. — RSS