सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Dhorpatan. Farmers in Balewa, Baglung Municipality-14, have started commercial lemon cultivation in a village that is becoming empty due to migration. The farmers have formed a group and started lemon cultivation by renting 250 ropanis of land.
52 farmers in Balewa have planted lemons by utilizing the cultivable land covered with bushes. Lemon cultivation, which was started by the ‘Chaso Krishak Samuha’ since 2077 BS, has started flourishing. Keshav Subedi, the group’s chairman, informed that more than 15 million rupees have been invested in lemon cultivation. He said that lemon production has started since last year. Chairman Subedi said that this year, sales of about 500,000 were made.
The Agricultural Knowledge Center had provided a grant of Rs. 600,000 and the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project had provided a grant of Rs. 1.5 million for lemon cultivation. Chairman Subedi informed that the farmers had invested about Rs. 13 million. He said that they started lemon cultivation to make good use of the cultivable land after the market started falling in search of services and facilities for the villagers.
According to Chairman Subedi, currently four thousand plants are growing in the lemon garden. Lemon cultivation was started after the monkey menace increased in the village. After lemon cultivation, the monkey menace has reduced somewhat. Production will increase every year and income will also increase. This year, five lakh rupees worth of lemons have been sold in markets including Baglung and Kushma.
Narayan Poudel, head of the Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project, Baglung, said that he has been providing technical support and financial subsidies to the farmer group for two years. He informed that in BS 2079, one million rupees were provided for Chaklabandi and last year, five lakh rupees were provided for lemon grading and storage.
Chief Poudel said, “This can also become a study center for other farmers. The Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project has been providing continuous support for two years. We have provided pesticides and other technical support, and the farmers are also excited as the plants have gradually started bearing fruit.”
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्