Tea Farming Transforms Resh Village into a Thriving Hub

BAGLUNG. With migration on the rise, arable and pasture lands in Resh village were becoming overgrown with bushes. Seeing the land lying fallow day by day, Ward Chairman Prem Lamichhane came up with the idea of starting tea cultivation.

Today, Lamichhane's initiative has become a significant source of income. Moreover, the identity of Resh village has transformed; it is now known as the 'Tea Village'.

As tea farming expands in Resh village, located in Kathekhola Rural Municipality-7 of Baglung, locals are increasingly drawn to it. Since the cultivation began seven years ago, villagers have started clearing fallow land to plant tea saplings. Locals who were once ready to migrate are now staying in the village. The tea gardens near the village have not only brought happiness to the residents but have also started contributing to their income.

In the year 2076 BS, about 30,000 saplings were brought from Sirubari in Tarakhola Rural Municipality for trial planting. Initially, many did not believe that income could be generated from this. Some even said, 'They have started doing something that won't work.' However, as the plants began to thrive, hope grew among the locals. Ward Chairman Lamichhane stated that production began last year, and this year's yield is significantly higher.

Initially, tea farming was started on 35 ropanis of land belonging to Janakalyan Basic School, and now tea is planted on much of the village's vacant land. Ward Chairman Lamichhane mentioned that bushes on the village's empty plots have been cleared to make way for tea.

He said, "We are very excited that tea farming is flourishing. The land that was once barren is now covered with tea, and it has started to bear fruit in terms of money. We are connecting all the citizens of the village, and we expect that tea will now stop migration. Many people have started planting tea saplings individually."

Tea cultivation was initiated through the Resh Small Farmers Cooperative. According to Ward Chairman Lamichhane, tea can be harvested for nine months of the year. He noted that it has been harvested twice this year and is being sold at Rs 2,000 per kilogram. There is an expectation of selling tea worth Rs 2 million this year. Ujeli Sharma, President of the Resh Small Farmers Cooperative, mentioned that despite good production, the lack of processing machinery remains a challenge.

There is no shortage of market for the produced tea. President Sharma says that the tea from here reaches markets in Baglung, Pokhara, Kathmandu, and other places. Currently, tea is cultivated over an area of 300 ropanis in places like Tingring, Baur, and Phalaydanda in Resh village. About 280 families in the village are involved in tea farming.

Dammar Bahadur Thapa, Chairman of Janakalyan Basic School, said that tea farming has brought enthusiasm to the village. Recalling that the school's land was once covered in bushes, he remarked that it has now started to yield financial returns. Chairman Thapa stated that the results are now visible because the villagers worked together for tea cultivation.