BAGLUNG: Farmers in the western part of Baglung are currently busy harvesting potatoes.
In areas such as Nisikhola, Tamakhola Rural Municipality, Dhorpatan, and Galkot Municipality, farmers are actively working in their fields during the peak rainy season to bring in their potato crops.
Regions like Dhorpatan Valley, Bhalkot, Sip, Luprabang, Niseldhor, Pandabakhani of Galkot, and Ramuwa are well-known for potato production, and farmers there are mostly found tending their fields.
Baglung produces over Rs 1 billion worth of potatoes annually. Planting typically occurs in Chaitra, with harvesting and bringing in potatoes expected by the first week of Asoj.
Local farmer Jhakendra Sunar shared that most farmers in Dhorpatan are currently harvesting potatoes. “Due to heavy rains a week ago, we were unable to access the fields because of the mud. Now that the rains have eased, farmers are rushing to harvest their crops,” he said.
Sunar himself has cultivated potatoes on about 70 ropanis of land and reports a good yield this year. He expects that all farmers in Dhorpatan will have finished harvesting by next 15 days.
“Potato farming has been practiced here for many years,” Sunar explained. “Now we have started cultivating it professionally, dividing the land systematically and incorporating new technology alongside traditional methods. This year’s crop has grown well, but the prolonged rains delayed harvesting. Normally, potatoes would have been brought in since the beginning of Bhadau, but now, with this rush, most locals are busy in their fields.”
Another local, Karna Bahadur Gharti of Nisikhola-6, noted the risk of potatoes rotting due to continuous rainfall. “Heavy rains during harvesting made it difficult to collect the potatoes earlier, but now we’ve started bringing them in,” he said.
Gharti added that a long drought during planting and subsequent heavy rains during harvest have contributed to a decline in production this year.
Potato cultivation is expanding throughout Baglung, with the Agricultural Knowledge Center investing lakhs of rupees annually to support farmers.
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