KHOTANG: Farmers of Jantedhunga Rural Municipality in Khotang have successfully produced over 6,000 kilograms of potatoes by cultivating previously barren public land.
This initiative was carried out under the potato cultivation promotion program, funded through a conditional grant of Rs 1.5 million provided by the Ministry of Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Koshi Province government for the fiscal year 2025/26. Of this, Rs 700,000 was used directly by the rural municipality to support cultivation efforts.
The rural municipality planted potatoes across approximately 61 ropanis of barren public land located in Bhanjyangkharka, Ward No. 4, Dambarkhushibalaya.
The planting was carried out by locals engaged under the Prime Minister’s Employment Program, according to Bigyan Rai, head of the rural municipality’s employment branch.
The harvested potatoes have been stored at the Koseli House, a local facility operated by the rural municipality in the Chisapani market.
A fair price shop was opened on June 18 to sell the stored potatoes to consumers. The price of the potatoes was fixed at Rs 55 per kilogram, and sales began at that rate.
Deputy chief of the rural municipality, Khem Bahadur Khadka, stated that potatoes are being sold through a coupon-based system managed by the agricultural branch.
“So far, 1,106 kilograms of potatoes have been sold,” he said. “The income generated will be deposited into the internal resources of the rural municipality. This program has shown that utilizing barren land for production yields positive results and should be prioritized.”
Of the total budget provided, Rs 800,000 was used to purchase 11 tons of potato seeds, which were then distributed free of charge to local farmers based on demand.
The remaining Rs 700,000 was used to cultivate the potatoes, with additional contributions from local representatives, municipal employees, and residents.
To prepare the land, two mini-tillers owned by the rural municipality were deployed to break up soil that had been unused for years. Labor from participants in the Prime Minister’s Employment Program was also mobilized to plant and later harvest the potatoes.
Rural municipality chairperson Arunadevi Rai ‘Diksha’ noted that a labor donation equivalent to Rs 300,000 was collected for the project.
Looking ahead, the rural municipality plans to expand potato cultivation in Bhanjyangkharka next fiscal year. This area, which borders Bhojpur district, contains extensive grasslands suitable for further agricultural use.
The ward office in Dambarkhushibalaya has also allocated budget for the purchase of buffaloes to produce organic fertilizer for potato farming.
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