GANDAKI: Suryamohan Bastola, a farmer from Syangkhudi Tari in Pokhara Metropolitan City-28, has earned Rs 275,000 this year by selling pepper seedlings. He sold 1,100 seedlings, all cultivated at the Amritkunj Permaculture Organic Farm.
The seedlings were purchased by Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Thuldhunga Community Forest Users Group based in Pokhara-19 Puranchour, farmers from Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality, and other individuals, Bastola said.
According to him, pepper cultivation is free from pests and diseases, and resistant to monkeys and hailstorms, making it a profitable and sustainable farming option that also supports forest and environmental conservation. The metropolis distributed the seedlings to farmers in the area.
Bastola first started growing pepper 35 years ago, after purchasing two seedlings from Atraya Guru of Bhandar Dhikka. Today, he cultivates over 100 pepper trees and sells each seedling for Rs 250. “We’re planning to produce 2,000 seedlings next year and aim to earn over Rs 500,000,” he shared.
The pepper plants are grown at the base of more than 100 trees of various species on the sloped land surrounding his home.
These trees have continuously borne fruit, bringing him an annual income of Rs 100,000 to Rs 300,000 from dried pepper alone, which is sold to traders at Rs 2,000 per kilogram.
Bastola’s farm spans approximately 30 ropanis and also cultivates herbs, agarwood, red sandalwood, bananas, cinnamon, and fruits. Despite his success, he noted that he has not received any support from the government.
Pepper seedlings are prepared by soaking ripe peppercorns in water overnight, then mixing them with cow dung, rubbing them clean, and sowing them in nursery beds. The seeds germinate in about a month and are ready for transplanting in one and a half months.
A tropical crop, black pepper thrives in warm, humid climates with high rainfall, and can be cultivated at elevations up to 1,500 meters in the hills.
It is widely used in culinary dishes, Ayurvedic medicine, and products like toothpaste and tooth powder. Experts say that with proper feasibility studies, commercial pepper cultivation could be promoted in Nepal’s community forest areas, providing a new source of income and reducing reliance on imported pepper.
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