GULMI, Aug 2: Some years ago, Parbat used to import vegetables and milk from Pokhara. The scenario has changed now. Growth of farming in the district has resulted in better situation of the agricultural sector. The district has now become self-sufficient in vegetable and milk products.
The local production is able to meet the demand of the district, according to Bishnu Bahadur Pandey, senior officer at the Livestock Service Office, Parbat.
"Till last year, around 300 liters of milk used to get imported from pokhara," Pandey said. "Only 100 liters were imported in the last three dry months," Pandey added.
The district is being self-sufficient because of the rising trend of professional farming. Mainly, returnee migrant workers are associated with cow farming and they are doing quite good job, Pandey said.
“The district produces as many as 37 metric tons of milk products,” he said, adding, "This amount is sufficient to meet the demand in the district."
Some villages in the district have started exporting milk to other districts as well. Majhphat, Shalija, Lekhphant and Dhairing of Parbat export milk to Myagdi while Nagliwang, Pang and Karkineta area of Parbat export milk to Syanga, according to Pandey.
The district has become self-sufficient in milk products. Few traders, however, import milk from Pokhara due to lower price there, he said.
Meanwhile, the district has also become self-sufficient in vegetables too. A total of 24 metric tons of vegetables were produced in the last fiscal year alone. According to Bashudev Ghimire, senior agriculture development officer, vegetables are produced as per the demand of the district. Some vegetables are also exported to other districts, shared Ghimire.