Bhojpur. Due to lack of irrigation and problems in planting crops due to monkeys, the farmers of the district have been attracted to dragon farming. Shambhu Nepal, a farmer, has said that he is earning a handsome income from dragon food cultivation on 42 ropanis of land in Gogne Salleni of Temkemaiung rural municipality-8.

Farmer Nepal, who started farming by registering danabot fruit and agriculture farm on the land that has been in conflict for many years, said that he earns rs 1.2 million to Rs 1.4 million annually. There is a reward in two years of planting the plant. He complained that market management was not easy.

Hari Gautam, a farmer, said that the cultivable land has become barren as the monkeys did not allow them to bring the crop. “Therefore, there is an increasing attraction in the district towards fruits and cash crops like dragonfruit, lemon, timmur and macadianut which are not eaten by monkeys,” he said.

He believes that if commercial farming can be done on his own land, then the amount earned in foreign employment can be earned. Gautam stressed the need for the local, state and federal governments to implement special programmes to utilize the barren land.