Baglung. The tea farmers here are excited after the tea planted by tearing the bushes started producing. The farmers of Kathekhola rural municipality-7 in Baglung district have been enthused after the tea planted in 2076 BS started giving commercial produce.
He cultivated tea with the community, cooperatives and schools. Tea is currently cultivated on 162 ropanis of land in Baur, Tingring and other places of Resh. Although tea was produced in the traditional style as a model last year, this time the locals have purchased tea producing equipment and plucked tea planted on 70 ropanis of land. Tea plants are growing on an additional 100 ropanis of land.
The tea plants have started producing fully within five years, so they are now harvesting tea once a week. The process of picking tea will continue till November. Chairman of Janakalyan Basic School Management Committee, Dammar Bahadur Thapa, said tea is being cultivated on 35 ropanis of school land. Stating that reshma tea started from the school land, he said that the tea garden is now a place to sell firewood.
Thapa said that tea cultivation is being expanded under the leadership of Reshma Small Farmers Cooperative Society. According to him, the school is also producing and selling tea saplings. At present, tea cultivation has been expanded on 162 ropanis of land including 67 ropanis of the cooperative, 60 ropanis of local citizens and 35 ropanis of school land. Of these, tea is being produced only on 70 ropanis of land belonging to schools and locals planted in the first phase, said Ujeli Sharma, chairman of the cooperative society.
Prem Lamichhane, ward chair of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-7, said that tea has been picked for export within a year.
“Initially, we planted saplings from Tarakhola and later we produced saplings under the leadership of cooperatives. Initially, the Chief Minister’s Model Agriculture Program of Gandaki State gave initiative to the farmers in tea cultivation,” he said, adding, “Last year, we had produced green tea by hand on a trial basis, but there was no professionalism. It has become easier to bring professionalism in tea production with the equipment to make tea on its own. Green tea can be sold for more than Rs 2,000 per kg, and the tea planted by cutting the bushes will help the schools, cooperatives and locals here to earn income. ’
Farmers have started expanding tea cultivation by tearing down the bushes grown in the cultivable and desolate land that have become desolate due to migration. Chairman Lamichhane said that the locals have started expanding their cultivation on the vacant private and public land as the tea plants are getting better. He said that there is a plan to plant 50,000 more tea saplings.
Tourists have also started coming to visit the tea garden in the village after the tea cultivation. Until six years ago, it was covered with weeds and has now turned into a tea estate. Domestic tourists come to the tea garden of Resh to see the tea garden, to make the scene public on the social networkIng site Facebook/TikTok. Students also come here to study and research under various educational programs.
Ward chair of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-5, Gyamnath Kandel, said tea cultivation has been started for the first time in Thamaneta of Bihu to attract more tourists and increase the income of consumers.
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