BHADRAPUR: Bhadrapur Municipality in Jhapa has distributed rice transplanter machines to two local cooperatives to support mechanized farming.
NMC Agro Farm in Bhadrapur-9 received a four-wheeled rice transplanter, 6,000 seed trays, and a paddy seeder.
Similarly, Pushpanjali Mahila Krishi Cooperative Society in Bhadrapur-1 received a four-wheeled rice transplanter and 6,000 seed trays, informed Sunil Niraula, Chief Administrative Officer of the municipality.
According to Niraula, the two rice transplanters were purchased at a total cost of Rs. 5.853 million, with 75 percent of the cost covered by the municipality and the remaining 25 percent contributed by the beneficiary cooperatives.
“The transplanter can sow rice over seven to eight katthas of land per hour,” he said. “This will significantly help reduce production costs for farmers.”
The 12,000 seed trays distributed are estimated to provide enough seedlings to cover 120 to 150 bighas of land in one cycle.
Incentive support for farmers
Bhadrapur Municipality has also provided incentive grants to farmers cultivating a range of crops, including rice, corn, fenugreek, millet, mustard, and vegetables, as part of its agricultural program for the fiscal year 2081/82.
Under the oilseed crop promotion program, 243 farmers and organizations cultivating mustard across 3,935 katthas received Rs. 2 million in total, at a rate of Rs. 500 per kattha, according to Agricultural Extension Officer Hemraj Pant.
Similarly, 144 farmers cultivating potatoes on 662 katthas received Rs. 1.5 million in total, with each receiving Rs. 2,000 per kattha.
Incentives were also provided under the indigenous crop promotion program. Fifty-five farmers cultivating millet on 315 katthas received Rs. 700 per kattha, while 59 farmers growing buckwheat (phapar) on 488 katthas were given Rs. 500 per kattha.
Additionally, under the municipal vegetable promotion program, 51 farmers cultivating vegetables on at least five katthas each were provided with necessary agricultural tools, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides at a 75 percent subsidy. Each farmer received materials worth Rs. 18,750 based on their needs, said Pant.
Under the Bagar Farming Program, Rs. 500,000 was distributed to 12 farmers who have since cultivated melons across more than 20 bighas of riverbank land (bagar), enabling them to earn a steady income.
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