सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Jhapa. One hundred and fifty farmers have benefited under the Bhadrapur Municipality’s potato cultivation program. The municipality had provided a subsidy of Rs 2,000 per katha to farmers cultivating potatoes on at least two kathas of land.
According to Mayor Ganesh Pokharel, this program has been launched to make farmers self-reliant in vegetable cultivation and to encourage them towards commercial production. The municipality is preparing to soon operate sales centers in various places to market the farmers’ products.
After the subsidy provided by the municipality, local farmer Mewa Ganesh of Besabari, Bhadrapur-3, said that he has been able to earn Rs 350,000 by cultivating potatoes on 10 kathas of land. ‘Potato cultivation has become a reliable source of income, there is no problem with the market,’ he said, ‘After selling potatoes, I can re-use the same land. I have planted potatoes.’
According to local farmer Mohanlal Gangain, there is no problem with the market as traders come to the fields to buy vegetables. If the municipality continues to provide technical support to local farmers, good returns can be obtained in potato and other vegetable cultivation.
Deputy Mayor Karki mentioned that the municipality aims to attract city residents to pesticide-free organic vegetables and that Bhadrapur Municipality has allocated more budget in the agricultural sector than other sectors. This year, the municipality has distributed a grant of Rs 2 million to 150 local farmers for the potato cultivation promotion program, said agricultural technician Suman Bimli. He said that the subsidy amount was distributed based on the area planted by the farmer.
Similarly, Bhadrapur Municipality is also running a program under the ‘Mayor Vegetable Farming Program’ to distribute 75 percent subsidy of the cost to farmers who cultivate the same variety of vegetables on at least five acres of land, informed Agriculture Technician Bimli.
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