Kavre Farmers Face Crisis as Potato Prices Plummet Despite Bumper Harvest

Kavrepalanchok. Farmers in Kavrepalanchok are currently harvesting potatoes from their fields. Despite increased production, local farmers are worried due to a lack of market for selling the potatoes.

In areas primarily known for vegetable production in the district, such as Panchkhal, Mandandeupur, Nala, and Panauti, farmers are busy harvesting potatoes. Sacks of potatoes are stacked in the field terraces, and piles of potatoes are visible along the roadside. However, the farmers do not appear happy. Market prices are falling, and traders who usually come to the fields have stopped visiting.

“The price of potatoes has dropped, but traders aren't even coming to the fields; we are forced to call the traders ourselves and ask them to take the potatoes away,” said farmer Rameshwor Sapkotta of Dhungana Bensi, Panchkhal Municipality-6. According to him, potatoes are currently selling for between NPR 7 and NPR 10 per kilogram.

Due to the low selling price, farmers are confused about whether to harvest the potatoes or not. Sapkotta says, “If we harvest, there's no price; if we don't, there's a fear of them rotting.” Leading farmer Sapkotta states that this year, due to the drop in potato prices, it will be difficult to even cover the cost of production. He mentioned that some farmers who took their potatoes to Kalimati vegetable market in Kathmandu had to leave them at the traders' price because they didn't sell, putting the farmers' investment at risk.

Compared to other crops, the cost of potato farming is higher. Considering expenses for land preparation, organic and chemical fertilizers, potato seeds, irrigation, pesticides, and labor, the cost per kilogram ranges from NPR 18 to NPR 20. In the same period last year, potatoes were selling for NPR 28 to NPR 35 per kilogram.

“We sold them to traders for as low as NPR 10 per kilo, accepting a loss, just to avoid them rotting in the field, but there is still anxiety about whether we will receive the money on time,” said local farmer Bijay Parajuli.

According to the Agriculture Branch of Panchkhal Municipality, potato farming is carried out on about 70,000 ropanis of land in the municipal area. Branch Chief Hemanta Paudel informed that Panchkhal produces over 90,000 metric tons of potatoes annually. He estimates that due to the low market prices this year, farmers are projected to lose around NPR 637 million compared to their total cost of production. Local resident Damodar Adhikari suggests that the farmers' problems could be solved if the government could ensure fair pricing for agricultural produce, arrange storage facilities, manage the market, and develop potato processing industries.

In Mandandeupur Municipality, farmers are busy harvesting potatoes regardless of rain, clouds, or sun. 82-year-old Pashupati Shrestha from Mandan Fanta in Mandandeupur-10 says, “This year, the potato yield was almost double that of last year, but the price is falling; farmers are facing immense hardship.”

The number of farmers commercially cultivating potatoes and other vegetables in Jwanetar Fanta has been increasing for the past 10 years. Local farmer Narayan Shrestha stated that potatoes were planted on about 200 ropanis of land in that area this season. He started planting potatoes on about 12 ropanis of land five years ago.

Shrestha says, “Last year, I got about 60 sacks of potatoes from the same land, but this year I got more than 120 sacks; however, the price has dropped threefold compared to last year.” Currently, thousands of ropanis of farmland in Jwanetar, Jogitar, Maitar, Kunta Bensi, and Chakhola areas of Mandandeupur are dedicated to potato cultivation.

According to the District Agriculture Development Office, Kavrepalanchok produces an annual average of 189,078 metric tons of potatoes from 9,163 hectares of land. Office Chief Kul Prasad Dwadi mentions that even after setting aside produce for consumption, 35 percent of the vegetable supply reaching the federal capital Kathmandu's market originates from Kavrepalanchok, with potatoes accounting for the largest share among vegetables.