Bhawani Prasad Sharma, president of District Coffee Entrepreneurs Association, Parvat, said that the farmers in the district planted 30,000 new coffee plants. Some of them even permanently switched to coffee, displacing major crops. [break]
Records at the association show that coffee plantings in Parvat expanded to half a dozen new VDCs, including Thanamaula and Huwas this year alone. Farmers were already planting coffee in around three dozen VDCs of the district, like Shivalaya, Madikuwa, Tilahar, Bajung, Katuwachaupari and Chuwa.
"I cultivated 400 plants because coffee does not need much care, but fetches handsome returns," said Darshan Gurung, a farmer of Thanamaula VDC.
The number of coffee farmers in the district has now jumped to 3,000, said Sharma.
Likewise, people in Myagdi too started coffee planting as a pilot project from this year.
According to District Agricultural Development Office (DADO), Myagdi, 4,000 coffee plants were planted in one hectare of land each in four VDCs, including Jyamurkot and Babiyachaur.
"The plantings have been carried out as a pilot project. Based on the result, we will expand the plantings in the district at commercial level," said DADO Officer Mahesh Chandra Acharya.
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