Potato farmers worry over lack of market

RUKUM: Farmers in Rukumpurba have been worried over the lack of market to sell potato.

Every household from Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality of the district has stored potato while half of the potato is ready for harvest in the field.

The farmers from the villages as Tak, Sera, Damchan, Ghimliwang, Mayang, Gar and Chargaon are worried why they were not able to sell even a kilogram of potato. It is the second staple after maize in the district.

Member of Chewang Farmers’ Group, Satmaya Budha, expressed that farmers were fretted whether the potato remain normal. It may decay if it is not properly stored or sold on time, she added.

According to her, the farmers produced huge amount of potato with land pooling scheme, but failed to get market. There is neither market nor proper storage at home, Budha shared.

Moreover, the farmers have covered the harvest time potato with tarpaulin sheets in the field in an attempt to avoid rotting. If the potato is left as it is, it loses taste, she viewed.

The people here are in dire need of bridge over the Uttarganga River for convenient public mobility and transportation of goods to Rukumkot bazaar.

Similarly, Secretary of Model Farmers’ Group from Ward No 11 of the rural municipality, Hridaya Budha, complained that potato produced at Damchan village had also not got market. Currently, a kg of potato costs Rs 100 in the market. If it is sold at Rs 100 per kg from the field, even the cost for transportation is not covered, they shared the plight.

Farmer Dhan Bahadur Oli from Bhume Rural Municipality-9 said the potato stored at home was rotting because there is no market. Other farmers are also anxious over the sale of their product.

Bhume Rural Municipality-7 also have similar plight. Although the potato was produced under a project, difficult and costly transportation, distant market, lack of collection center and no assistance from any side has caused worry.

Meanwhile, Chief of Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Development Office in the district, Pitambar Basnet, admitted that difficult and distant geography was reason behind poor market management for potato.

However, farmers had not fixed the potato price, which he claimed, was also hindering market management.