Low quality paddy in market headache for Parasi farmers

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Parasi (Nawalparasi), Oct. 20: Farmers of Parasi are facing double trouble. The first problem is that they still have stock of last year’s paddy and they fear they will not be able to sell this year’s production. The second is the price of it. Their main concern is the price of paddy is going down day by day mainly because of the low quality paddy from India.

The district has three geographical divisions - Terai, inner Terai and hilly regions and paddy is the main crop in the district. People living in Terai and inner Terai parts of the district are involved in paddy farming. But when they do not get proper prices for the products, it has been very difficult for them to meet their expenses.

"The prices of other goods are going up everyday. But we have not be able to get good prices for paddy, which is our major product and also the major source of livelihood," farmers say.

At present, the Mansuli and other varieties of paddy are sold at Rs. 800 and Rs. 600 per quintal respectively in the market.

Employees at the district agricultural development office say that the import of paddy from India has affected the sale of Nepalese paddy.

Padam Bahadur GC, a farmer of Rajhar VDC of the district, had sold paddy worth Rs. 500,000 last year. But he has not sold paddy this year. "I have stored all the paddy because of poor price," GC says.

Traders are also not buying paddy from the farmers. Prem Kafle, a local trader, says that he has not bought any paddy from farmers this year because he thinks buying paddy ‘at present’ will not be profitable because of the downward trend of the price.

Pushpa Raj Poudel, district committee chairman of Nepal Farmers’ Association, meanwhile, says that the farmers will not sell the paddy unless they get a good price.

In the district, more than 100,000 metric tons of paddy is produced every year. According to the district agricultural development office, the production of paddy has increased by two times this year because of favourable weather.

Kill snails, make money scheme

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Sindhulimadhi, Oct. 20: In a bid to get rid of the swarms of snails in Kamalamai Municipality, Lions Club and Leo Club of Sindhuli have started to buy the molluscs from the farmers and kill them.

According to the clubs, they give Rs. 5 for a kilogramme of the snails. The snails are killed by splashing them with the mixture of salt and water.

Started about a week ago, the campaign seems to have become every effective in freeing the farmers from the problem of snails.

Already, some 350 kilograms of snails were collected and killed. A collection depot has been established at Dhungrebas bazaar of the district to buy the snails from farmers.

Narayan Kumar Shrestha, President of Lions Club of Sindhuli, informed that the fund needed for buying the snails has been generated through donations.

Shrestha further said that the campaign would continue till the snails are completely brought under control in the area.

To collect the snails from different parts of the municipality, a nine-member ‘snail control committee’ has been formed under the coordination of Binod Khadka, chairman of Ward No. 6 of the municipality.

"Farmers have heaved a sigh of relief after the anti-snail campaign was launched. Farmers were suffering a huge loss as the snails damage vegetables," Khadka said.

He also said that children have been very interested in collecting the snails. "As the collection of snails has helped farmers to earn some money to run the household, they are motivated to do it," he said.

Similarly, RSS adds from Kabhrepalanchowk, what worries the farmers of the Kabhrepalanchowk district is how to sell 140,000 litres of milk a day in the market in a systematic manner.

The farmers are in a dire strait after dairy development corporation reduced the price of milk notwithstanding the reduction of milk price in the local market.

According to Haribhakta Kandel, chief of District Cooperatives Office, it is Kabhrepalanchowk district which has 209 milk cooperatives, the largest number throughout the country.

Of them, Ranitar, Umadevi, Kharibot and Janajagriti Cooperatives are considered the best cooperative in the district.

Chief of the District Livestock Office Dr. Tika Ram Neupane is of the opinion that the farmers should take care of their cattles for maximum benefit.

The farmers should give special attention while purchasing the buffaloes as well as their husbandry, he added.

Compost manure should be used instead of chemical fertilisers for the crops, District Administration Development Office chief Khem Sharma Poudel advised the farmers at an interaction programme held here recently.

Butwal shops selling goods at moderate price in Dashain

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Butwal, Oct. 20: A five-day Dashain Festival kicked off here on Friday to make available goods to the consumers at moderate prices.

Organised by Butwal Chambers of Commerce and Industry, a total of 17 shops are selling consumers goods at the fair price market.

Local consumers seem to be lining up in the queue to get sugar. Sugar is sold at Rs. 40 per kilogram in the market. But consumers are offered it at Rs. 29 per kilogram.

In the fair price market, consumer items such as sugar, vegetable ghee, buffalo ghee, salt, biscuits, spices, tea, milk, rice, kerosene, among others are available at moderate prices.

President of Butwal Chambers of Commerce and Industry Arjun Man Sainju informed that the goods are available by 10 per cent cheaper as compared to the market prices.

Inaugurating the Dasain Festival here yesterday, Chief District Officer of Rupandehi Tana Gautam said that the sugar produced by the Birgunj Sugar factory has been brought to the market and it will be available at Rs. 28 per kilogramme now onward.