BAJHANG, July 9: Vegetables are rotting in farms as farmers in Bajhang are not finding market for their produce.
According to local farmers, vegetables like tomato, capsicum, and eggplant, among others, are rotting in their farms.
Vegetable farming is the main source of income generation for people in places like Thalara Kuch, Jhota, and Subeda, among others.
Kalak Oda, a farmer of Kedarisu Rural Municipality, said eggplant, tomato and capsicum are drying up in his farm as he is not being able to find market for his produce. “I irrigated the field by carrying water all the way from Seti River. Though my farm is full of vegetables, I am not getting buyers,” Oda told Republica.
Last year, Oda had earned Rs 200,000 by selling vegetables.
“Though there is demand for vegetables in district headquarters Chainpur, our product would be expensive when the reach market because of high transportation cost,” he added.
Ram Bahadur Oli, president of Laga Community Group, said that many farmers in the area are involved in commercial vegetables farming after Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) helped the farmers through Rural Environment Improvement Committee. “The PAF provided Rs 400,000 and technical help to farmers. This encouraged many people in the area to start commercial vegetable farming,” he said, adding: “But as marketplaces are very far, farmers are suffering huge loss.”
He also said traders were prioritizing pesticides-laden vegetables grown in Tarai districts instead of organic vegetables grown in villages.
Kalak Thapa, convener of Rural Environment Improvement Committee, said that the problem has arisen after many people started commercial vegetable farming at the same time.
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