Lets Talk

Investment & Hardwork Pays: Agro

Published by Octron on November 9, 2011

By MANOJ ADHIKARI, Republica

Exodus of people from villages soared when conflict heightened in rural hinterlands about a decade ago with Maoists and Nepal Army entering in a war.

While people constantly lived in fear, Mesh Gurung, a local of Machchhapuchchhre Village Development Committee (VDC), then living in Japan, thought he was safe and free from difficulties that people faced back home in his village.

But the sense of safety shattered when oneday he heard that the Maoists killed his father Tek Bahadur Gurung, who was then chairman of Machchhapuchchhre VDC. Shaken by the news, Mesh immediately packed his belongings and returned to Nepal permanently.

“Many houses were padlocked and there were fewer people in the village,” recalls Mesh of the day when he reached the village 10 years ago. In the absence of working population, farmland in the village was barren.

In his bid to earn a livelihood, Mesh took up some odd jobs. But deep inside, he was unhappy. As a person who moved to Japan after completing BCom and worked on the sales counter of a vegetable farm for five years, he was unhappy to see large tracts of productive land left unused.

Thanks to motivation of technical experts, senior villagers and friends, he eventually quit the job and started an agricultural farm, teaming up with people like former Secretary Baburam Acharya, who were eager to work in farms.

Today, Mesh´s farm is spread over 500 ropanis (62.86 acres) in Sardikhola. He has planted vegetables on a large chunk of land and also started livestock farming. He is planning to start fishery and pig farming as well very soon.

“Acres of fertile land that was left barren always pinched me. So, I committed to myself that I will make commercial use of it and also restore greenery in the village,” he told the Republica.

For the purpose, he acquired a defunct savings and credit cooperative and renamed it as Hilly Agricultural Cooperative Society and through it he started acquiring barren land of Sardikhola on lease for 20 years at a cost of Rs 2,100 per ropani (5,476 square feet) per annum.

“The cooperative model has worked wonders and investment has started to pay off just within six months,” said Mesh, chairman of the cooperative.

For the good yield of two varieties of tomato – Themes 1 and 6 – which he planted in 65 different plastic tunnels that was spread over 50 ropanis, Mesh has already sold 18 tons of tomatos over the last six months. The plants will continue to generate yield for next 5 months.

“The return it generated is very encouraging,” said Mesh, adding that he plans to further expand tomato plantation.

Apart from that, he has also planted cauliflower, cabbage, green vegetables, onion, French beans, lady´s finger and cucumber, among others. The cooperative is already selling the vegetable output in Pokhara. In a bid to establish a strong market link, the cooperative has even opened a sales outlet in Chipledhunga vegetables market in Pokhara.

The farm has developed an ´agriculture calendar´ for pursuing different vegetable varieties round the year.

Currently, the cooperative has planted vegetables in 200 ropanis and also initiated livestock farming in the remaining 300 ropanis. Though the number of goats and cows at present stands at 60 and 13 respectively, it has already taken initiative to add more livestocks. The cooperative is also preparing ponds for fishery and pens for pig farming.

“Vegetables and livestock farming complement each other well. While animals will feed on the waste generated from vegetable farms, use of excreta of animals enhances productivity of vegetable farms,” said Mesh.The cooperatives have particularly avoided using chemical fertilizer and pesticides.

The agricultural farm is meeting the demand in Pokhara and has created employment opportunities for locals as well. The farm currently has 45 full-time salaried staff and is paying Rs 6,000 to men and Rs 5,000 to women staff every month. During the plantation season, it hires as many as 80 locals.

“The monthly expenditure to run the farm is Rs 300,000 a month. Thankfully, its yield is already generating this amount,” said Mesh.

The share capital of the cooperative too has jumped to Rs 5 million from initial figures of Rs 700,000. According to Gurung, the cooperative´s investment in the farm has soared to around Rs 7 million.

“The prospects shown by the farm are immense. More than that, it has revived hopes and liveliness among villagers who previously remained bogged down with income issues,” said Mesh.

Villagers of Machchhapuchchhre VDC in the past used to rely on foreign employment for earning their livelihood. But the vegetable farm has put a check on this trend. If everything goes well, Mesh says the farm will soon take the shape of a model agro-enterprise that can motivate people in other parts of the country to start similar enterprises.

The impact of the farm is already felt in the VDC. At least two to three groups of students and development workers visit the farm every day to observe it, and the impact it has had in the locality.

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