सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Bhojpur. Rudraksha has become a good source of income for the farmers of Bhojpur. The farmers here have been earning a lot of money by selling Rudraksha.
Uttam Katuwal, Secretary of the Rudraksha Traders Association, informed that the district earns an average of Rs 150 to 200 million from Rudraksha. Secretary Katuwal said that the price of Mukhadhar seeds is good in the market.
He said that a single Mukhadhar seed with 21 faces is sold for Rs 20 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. He said that the price of seeds other than Mukhadhar is low.
‘The market price of Mukhadhar Rudraksha is very good’ Secretary Katuwal said, ‘The price of Mukhadhar seeds is determined based on the size. Twenty-one Mukhadhar seeds are sold for 20 to 60 lakhs. In the district, Rudraksha earns an average of 15 to 20 crores.’
A seed with eight to 29 Mukhadhar seeds is called Mukhadhar. There is the highest demand for 21 Mukhadhar seeds in the market. According to Secretary Katuwal, eight- and twelve-faced grains are sold for Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 depending on the size.
Similarly, 13-faced grains are sold for Rs 5,000 to 15,000, 14- and 15-faced grains for Rs 10,000 to 50,000, 16-faced grains for Rs 50,000 to 100,000, 17-faced grains for Rs 70,000 to 200,000, 18-faced grains for Rs 50,000 to 400,000, and 21-faced grains for Rs 200,000 to 260,000.
He informed that there is no demand in the market for the five- and six-faced grains sold in the past. He says that the problem of trees dying is seen because farmers use drugs on the pretext of making the seeds better.
In the past, Rudraksha plants produced naturally (without the use of drugs) were sold at a good price because they were few in number, but they produced quality, plump seeds. He says that although the use of drugs has increased production, the price has decreased.
Sujan Rai, a local Rudraksha trader from Dingla, Shadananda Municipality, said that there is a problem in marketing the produced Rudraksha. Since Rudraksha is kept as a forest product, there is a problem in sales and distribution.
He said that it would be more convenient if the state kept Rudraksha as a cash crop. Rai said that more than two thousand farmers in the Dingla area are cultivating Rudraksha commercially.
‘Rudraksha is the main source of income for most of the farmers here,’ he said. ‘In our Dingla area alone, more than two thousand farmers are cultivating it commercially. There is a problem in marketing Rudraksha when it is kept as a forest product.’
Rudraksha is cultivated in various places in the district including Nepaledanda, Kudakaule, Deurali, Mulpani, Keurenipani, Salpasilicho Rural Municipality of Shadananda Municipality.
Farmers have been protecting it as the problem of Rudraksha seeds being stolen and plants being cut down is increasing. About 70,000 kg of Rudraksha has been exported from Bhojpur till Magh this year, informed Assistant Forest Officer Vijay Yadav of the Division Forest Office, Bhojpur.
Although Rudraksha is produced in abundance in the district, its main market is Khandbari in Sankhuwasabha. Rudraksha traders say that it is exported from Khandbari to the Terai districts, Kathmandu, and even to China and India.
Similarly, Rudraksha is also exported to countries including Europe and America. Looking at the history of Rudraksha in Bhojpur, it is said that it was brought from Kashi, India, before 1932 BS and planted in Dingla by Balaguru Shadananda Adhikari. Experts say that Rudraksha can be cultivated at an altitude of up to 1,400 meters above sea level.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्