NEPALGUNJ, SEPTEMBER 13

Farmers in Banke district looked worried after they could not sell vegetables in the market.

Farmers have not been allowed to transport vegetables to the market due to the ongoing prohibitory order in the midst of coronavirus. “Prohibitory orders enforced in Nepalgunj, Kohalpur, Khajura and other villages have badly disrupted regular marketing of the local produce,” said Laxman Khadka, a farmer from Kohalpur. He said the farmers were worried about their investment on vegetables.

In the present season, vegetables are grown in 1,750 hectare land in the district. Some 12,000 metric tonnes of vegetables are produced in the district which needs regular marketing.

Gourd, squash, okra, beans, cucumber and tomato are the major vegetables grown here during this season.

Farmers producing cucumber have been worst hit by the prohibitory order, said Chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre in the district, Sagar Dhakal.

Although vegetables reach the market areas around Nepalgunj, farmers have not been able to transport the produce to the markets of Kohalpur, Baijanath, Narainapur and Raptisonari. “Efforts are under way to provide travel pass to farmers for easy transportation of their produce,” Dhakal added.

Moreover, the farmers are also facing inconvenience getting chemical fertilisers and insecticides.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 14, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.