PARBAT: Parbat district has generated more than Rs 653 million from the sale of agricultural products in fiscal year 2024/25, driven by six priority crops, potato, paddy, cardamom, vegetables, maize, and citrus fruits.
According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, the district is moving toward self-sufficiency in food and vegetables while increasing exports of key crops.
Potatoes and oranges remain the district’s top export items, while paddy, seasonal and off-season vegetables, cardamom, maize, and cucumber seeds are also produced and sold in significant quantities.
Agriculture Knowledge Centre Chief Parshuram Adhikari said the district produced 72,950 metric tonnes of food grains last year, including 33,120 metric tonnes of maize and 5,220 metric tonnes of wheat.
Other crops included 54 metric tonnes of barley, 100 metric tonnes of buckwheat, 7,850 metric tonnes of millet, and 527 metric tonnes of pulses. Oilseed production stood at 362 metric tonnes, potatoes at 20,330 metric tonnes, vegetables at 12,610 metric tonnes, and oranges at 4,015 metric tonnes. Including other fruits, the district’s total fruit production reached 13,307 metric tonnes.
In terms of revenue, potatoes brought in Rs 77.3 million, seeds and vegetables Rs 110 million, oranges Rs 248.4 million, honey Rs 45 million, and cardamom Rs 18.1 million, with significant sales also recorded for paddy, millet, and maize.
The Agriculture Knowledge Centre has been working in recent years to attract farmers toward production-oriented crops by offering subsidies ranging from 50% to 90%. In the last fiscal year alone, over Rs 40 million in subsidies were distributed.
Support included 203 mini power tillers, 25 grinding mills, 41 sprayers, and 5 brush cutters. For irrigation, the centre provided 5,935 meters of pipes, 700 hill tanks, and repairs to 367 meters of irrigation channels. Officials say such mechanization has helped farmers reduce both labor costs and time.
Priority programs in the district included maize seed production and promotion, traditional crop promotion, and development of vegetables, grains, and fruits. These were implemented in 285 locations, achieving 80% financial progress and 80.75% physical progress.
For the current fiscal year, the Gandaki Province government has allocated Rs 56.417 million to the centre, while the federal government has earmarked an additional Rs 2.143 million in conditional grants.
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