Rawabesi farmers earn nearly Rs 10 million from litchi sales

KHOTANG: Farmers of Rawabesi Rural Municipality, Khotang have earned nearly Rs 10 million from litchi sales this season.

A total of 184 metric tons of litchi were produced, with the highest yield—88 metric tons—recorded in Kubinde-1, one of the six wards in the municipality.

According to Uddhav Bastola, head of the agriculture department at the rural municipality, litchi cultivation across 11 hectares in Kubinde has started bearing fruit.

Ward 2 produced 24 metric tons, Lamidanda (Ward 3) and Dharapani (Ward 4) each produced 16 metric tons, Dubekol (Ward 5) yielded 8 metric tons, and Haunchur (Ward 6) produced 32 metric tons.

Prem Bahadur Magar of Langhali Chowk, Kubinde, sold litchis worth Rs 30,000 at the rate of Rs 1 per piece. Another farmer, Khadga Prasad Regmi, earned Rs 45,000 from his harvest.

Kubinde Ward Chair Gehendraman Rai said some farmers have earned over Rs 100,000 from litchi sales. He estimated the total income from litchi this season to be around Rs 9.5 million.

Rural Municipality Chief Phatik Kumar Shrestha shared that the 17th Village Assembly, held on Ashad 10, has approved policies and programs to develop Rawabesi into a ‘hub’ for litchi production.