Khotang. Farmers of Jantedhunga rural municipality have produced 5,000 kg of potatoes using barren land. The rural municipality has produced more than 6,000 kg of potatoes this year by investing Rs 700,000 out of the conditional budget of Rs 1.5 million provided by the Ministry of Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives in the fiscal year 2081÷82.

The rural municipality had cultivated potato in February last year using about 61 ropanis of public waste at Bhanjyangkharka of Ward No. 4, Dambarkhushivalaya. Locals participating in the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme have dug potatoes planted by the rural municipality from July 15 to July 15, said Chief of the Rural Municipality’s Employment Section, Bijaya Rai.

The potato produced has been stored in the Koseli house operated by the rural municipality at Chisapani market. The rural municipality has opened a fair price shop from June 10 to sell potato stored in koseli houses to consumers.

Deputy Mayor of the rural municipality, Khem Bahadur Khadka, said that a meeting of the Local Revenue Advisory Committee held on June 29 fixed the price of potato at Rs 55 per kg. “Arrangements have been made to sell stored potatoes on the basis of coupons to customers coming with coupons from the agriculture branch.

So far, 1,106 kg of potatoes have been sold,” he said, adding, “We plan to deposit the income from the sale of potatoes in the internal resources of the rural municipality.” It has been learned that potato cultivation promotion program started using barren land should emphasize on production. ’

According to the rural municipality, 11 tonnes of potato seeds have been purchased and distributed free of cost to the farmers out of the budget of Rs 1.5 million provided by the Ministry of Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives of koshi state government under the promotion of potato cultivation. Based on the demand of the farmers, the rural municipality distributed potato seeds free of cost and the remaining Rs 700,000 budget, as well as people’s representatives, employees and locals donated labour.

Two minitillers of the rural municipality were used to cultivate potatoes by breaking the public land that had been barren for years. Similarly, locals participating in the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme were mobilized to dig barren land, sow potato seeds and extract the grown potatoes.

Rural municipality chief Aruna Devi Rai ‘Diksha’ said that rs 300,000 worth of shramdaan has been collected for potato cultivation run by the rural municipality. “The local varieties of potatoes and khumal white varieties of potatoes were planted in Bhajyangkhark and maize has also been cultivated along with potatoes,” he said. Preparations have been made to store potato seeds in the chisapani-based chilling center to come into operation from coming July. ’

According to the rural municipality, potato cultivation has been planned in the next fiscal year in Bhanjyangkharka, which has a large grassland on the border of neighbouring Bhojpur district. The ward office, Dambarkhushivalaya, has also allocated budget for the purchase of buffaloes to produce fertilizers for potato cultivation.

The rural municipality, located in the southern part of the district, has passed the policy, programme and budget for the fiscal year 2082÷83 BS from the 17th Gram Sabha, giving priority to agricultural production.

Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, Binaya Niraula, said that a policy and program has been formulated to emphasize production to take the local people who have been adopting subsistence farming system to the commercial farming system by providing incentive money.