Imported vegetables replace domestic produces

Nawalparasi - Vegetable farmers in Nawa parasi Purba are worried to see their produces going rotten within the field in lack of market. Though lockdown rules have been eased, they are unable to transport produces to possible markets outside the district. Before lockdown, they would supply most of products to Nepalgunj, Narayangadh, Butwal, Pokhara, Kathmandu cities and so on.

The district is known for productions of several sorts of veggies like tomato, long bean, sponge guard, bitter guard, bottle guard, cucumber, pumpkin, ladies finger and capsicum. A person here involves in commercial vegetable cultivation in the land up to 10 bigha. Among those farmers hit hard by lockdown is Jugat Bahadur Thanet of Ledha of Madhyabindu Municipality-3. This season, he spends around Rs 400 thousand for the cultivation, but the return is not likely.

Some farmers have taken land on lease to practice vegetable farming and they are finding no means to clear the bank loan when the business is on the loss. Rameshwor Neupane of Gochhadatar is among those farmers who took bank loan to start farming. Besides, there is no storage facility for them.

Som Bahadur Bishwakarma of Kawasoti-13 expected to make income of Rs 300-400 thousand this season, but lockdown collapsed his business and he is not in the position of recovering his investment. Around three hundred people are involved in commercial vegetable cultivation here and they are sure to bear a huge loss this time. Local markets are not for them as they are largely filled with imported vegetables from India, they complained.