Dang. Deukhuri Rapti river is high land, sandy soil. In the morning, farmers are busy harvesting sweet potatoes without ignoring the cold of December. Some are digging sugarcane, some are picking and piling it, and some are filling it in sacks to send to the market. Since it is not only the families of the family, the farmers are digging the sugarcane with the help of other workers.

Ramchor Yadav, a farmer of Khardariya, Rajpur Rural Municipality-3, said that farmers are digging and selling sweet potatoes as they can make a good profit if they reach the market on time. Yadav, who has cultivated sweet potato in three bigha of land, said he has sold around 35 quintals of sweet potato planted in one bigha of land. “We are digging up sugarcane planted in two bighas of land,” he said.

The goods should be given to the traders on time. Yadav, who has already sold sugar worth Rs 1.5 million, said that if 100 quintals more production is produced this year, it will sell up to 3 lakh 50 thousand. According to him, white beak is being sold at Rs 40 to Rs 45 per kg while red beak is being sold at Rs 45 to 49 per kg. Dharma Prasad Yadav, another farmer of the same locality, said that many farmers have been cultivating sweet potato in recent years as they can earn better income with less hard work and investment than other agricultural crops.

Another farmer, Sita Yadav, said that the sale of sweet potato has increased in the market as it is customary to eat sweet potato during Maghe Sankranti. He said that there will be good sales during this time, so the income will also be good. More than 200 farmers of Rajpur Rural Municipality-3 and 4 have cultivated sugarcane in one or two katthas to three to four bighas of land. A farmer sells sweet potatoes for a minimum of Rs 20,000-25,000 to Rs 5-600,000 at the same time and earns more than Rs 20 million in the village. Traders go to the fields to get sugarcane.

Last year, farmers were selling at Rs 50 to Rs 55 per kg but this year they are selling at Rs 40 to Rs 45 per kg. Farmers have complained that they are not getting the right price due to middlemen. Sugarcane is sown in August and starts digging from the second week of Poush. According to farmers, the sugarcane produced in Rajpur of Deukhuri is supplied to Lamahi, Ghorahi and Tulsipur bazaars as well as from Butwal to Kohalpur and Surkhet.