Road brings development to western hills

SEP 21 -

Expansion of the road network in the western hills and mountains has done wonders when it comes to uplifting the people’s livelihoods. Ghanashyam Khadka from Myagdi, Basanti Bastola from Kaski, Birendra KC from Argakhanchi and Madhav Aryal from Palpa report on how road access has changed the people’s lives in these regions.

Few years ago, vegetables produced in Histan, Myagdi, used to be consumed in the village itself. Now, things have changed. Tek Bahadur Garbuja, a farmer from the remote mountain village, earned Rs 60,000 this year selling potato, thanks to road expansion. “Now we can supply our produce to the market,” said Garbuja, who had contributed Rs 15,000 as donation for the construction of the road.

Due to the road access, buyers themselves come to the farmers nowadays, another farmer Govinda Garbuja said.

Road connectivity has been a boon to most of these mountain villages like Histan and Gharamdi, where a majority of the people are engaged in cultivating cash crops—potato, cauliflower and tomato, including other vegetables and livestock—for their livelihood.

Every day, six jeeps ply from Bharatpokhari in Kaski to remote Tarakhola village in Baglung. And these jeeps are fully laden with vegetables and milk supplied to Tansen, Rampur and Butwal markets. Many farmers have also started commercial vegetables farming, realising its quick and handsome returns.

The road was built three years ago with support from local communities. Villagers contributed Rs 28.6 million, while the village development committee and district development committee injected a combined Rs 3.1 million to build the 42-km road.

More than 200 tonnes of potatoes are supplied from Nagi, Ramchhe, and Kafaldanda, including other villages. Once known as a barren land, Histan is now famous for non-seasonal vegetables and tunnel farming. There is also a poultry farm on 30 ropanies of land.

According to the District Agriculture Office, potato is cultivated on 1,550 hectares in Myagdi, and 17,281 tonnes are supplied to other markets annually.

Bharatpokhari in Kaski district is another example. Despite its close proximity with Pokhara, this village had long remained under the shadow of the tourist lake city. But now, Bharatpokhari is a major supplier of milk and vegetable to Pokhara. Daily, 10,000 litre milk and 500kg vegetables are supplied to the tourist city. The road connectivity has encouraged farmers to go for

commercial vegetable farming as well. “The village has been transformed dramatically for the last one and half decades after vehicle started plying on the dirt road of Bharatpokhari,” said Yagya Prasad Adhikari, former chief of Bharatpokhari VDC.

The village supplies milks and vegetables worth Rs 100 million and Rs 30 million, respectively, annually. Orange and honey trade stands at Rs 20 million and Rs 1.5 million, annually. “After the construction of the road, farmers have abandoned traditional farming,” said Padam Raj Aryal, a local farmer. “Agriculture commercialisation has also created employment opportunities.”

Daya Ram Aryal, who returned from Qatar after 14 years, expanded his community vegetable farming and cow rearing businesses, and now he owns a dairy processing plant in Sivalaya Chowk, Pokhara. Even farmers who own two ropanis of land are earning Rs 300,000-600,000 annually. More than 2,000kg vegetables and 1,500 litters of milk are supplied from the village every year.

Chandra Singh Khangaha is another example in Palpa. A resident of Jhirubas, Khangaha abandoned his plan to migrate to Tarai after the road was constructed. “Due to road access, income geenrating opportunities have increased in the village, and there is no need to migrate,” he said.

Not only Jhirubas, villagers of Mityal, Gothadi, Satyawati, Kachal and Rahawas, including others, have also benefited from the road access. Mahendra Kaudal, senior official at the Agriculture Development Office, said jeeps and tractors ferry vegetables and crops from the villages, instead of carrying passengers. “Every produce is saleable now.” In terms road access, Argakhanchi is one of the model districts as every village is linked to road. “Farmers here are engaged in milks production,” said Krishna Ghimire, a local farmer at Pataiti. “Pataiti alone supplies 1,000 litres of milk daily to Pokhara.”

Source: The Kathmandu Post