Now our village has also become lively. As the voting day approaches, leaders are coming day by day. The village, which used to be deserted for months, has become more lively. Even acquaintances who have gone far away have come. When many people come to the village, I am not happy.

Elections are coming up for those who have free time. I have work to do. Either I am in the field or I am in the market. I am now 45 years old. I have watched many elections so far. Many times leaders have promised to do this and that. If the promises made by the leaders had been fulfilled, we would not be in this situation. Leaders only care about the votes of the farmers. Not about our problems.

That is why I have lost faith in the leaders. Apart from my work, I do not have time to follow the leaders. I go to the field in the morning, pick vegetables from there and visit almost all the markets in the district. I have cultivated vegetables in my own two-acre garden in Balhi, Sukhipur Municipality-7.

What sells for 100 rupees in Kathmandu, we are selling to traders here for 30 to 40 rupees. I grow different types of vegetables, including chillies, eggplants, and tomatoes, depending on the season. My main responsibility is to sell vegetables in the market. My wife and children usually work in the fields. I have 4 daughters and a son. They study in the government school in the village.

The bicycle I bought 12 years ago is broken. I spend 200 to 400 rupees every now and then to get the same bicycle repaired and continue working. There is potential in agriculture. But, there is no environment for growing vegetables. The main problem is that vegetables have to be sold cheaply. What sells for 100 rupees in Kathmandu, we are selling to traders here for 30 to 40 rupees.

Selling to local customers in the markets here costs 10 to 15 rupees more. You have to give a lot of time for that. You have to wait in the market. Another problem is that fertilizers and seeds are not available on time. We have to buy it at a high price even after suffering a lot. We do not have a cold store here, and many vegetables spoil in the fields. In every election, leaders talk about developing the agricultural sector. However, their promises are limited to speeches. There is no one to actually do it for the farmers.

When we do not see much economic progress except for making a living, we want to leave farming and do other things. But, we do not have the skills to do other things except farming. We do not even have the capital to do business. This is the work of agriculture that we have known since we grew up. I also hear that the government is investing in agriculture. However, there is a lot of fuss in the agriculture budget.