Maize farming in Doti to tide over looming food crisis

Dipayal, April 6

Doti locals have initiated preparations to develop the district as a pocket area for maize production aiming to avert a looming food crisis in the district.

Locals of Jijomandau, Tijali, Latamandau VDCs and Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality of the district have been encouraged to begin group maze farming in the areas. As many as 10 farmer groups have started maize cultivation in Jijomandau VDC.

Stakeholders have identified maize farming as the best alternative to end the food shortage in the district.

Sarad Chandra Shrestha, Director at Regional Agriculture Directorate, Dipayal, said the district had favourable soil for the production of maize. “We will choose some VDCs suffering from food crisis for group maize farming,” he said.

Shrestha informed that 26 VDCs of the district where suffering from food crisis. He said the commercialisation of maize farming in the areas could rid the villages of famine.

According to statistics at District Agriculture Development Office, Doti, maize is the third most grown crop in the district while paddy stands first in the line with millet standing second. Agriculture Development Office along with various non-governmental organisations of the far-west had imported seeds to distribute among farmers. The office informed of its plan to establish a seed bank in the district.