Shailung rural municipality-8 Kalapani's Sanchita KC has a field for planting potatoes. Busy planting potatoes, she looks up at the sky to see if it is snowing. The first week of January passed. Not a single rain or snow fell in the district.
In the past, from November onwards, the high hilly and Himalayan areas, which are covered by snowfall, have become terrible black stones. From the middle of January to the second week of January, at this time, the farmers of the highlands and the Himalayas plant potatoes. Potato is the main cash crop of the district.
Farmers have been cultivating commercial potatoes on 3200 hectares of land in the upper part of all nine local levels. Sanchita says that after planting potatoes, if there is a fall of snow, the soil becomes muddy and the potatoes grow quickly. 'Last year it didn't snow on time, this year it's already March,' she said, we started planting potatoes, it would have snowed one fall, it's been 2/4 years since there was no snow on time, we didn't spray potatoes.'
65,000 to 70,000 potatoes are produced in all nine local levels. Crop cutting produces 26 to 40 kg of potatoes per 10 square meters. According to the latest data, the farmers planting potatoes and the area increased, but the production is decreasing, according to Krishi Gyan Kendra. Potatoes equivalent to 58,000 metric tons are being exported annually from the district to Terai and Rajdhani. From that, 70 to 75 crore rupees will be received in the district . Winter potatoes are planted from January to mid-January and dug from June to the end of July.
The highest potato export of the district is coming from Shailung rural municipality. Potatoes worth 36 crores have been exported from Shailung annually. Farmers in the highlands and Himalayan areas say that they earn between 50,000 and 12 lakhs from commercial potato farming. Khadga Bahadur Thaplia of Shailung-8 who was planting potatoes. "It is the main season for planting potatoes, but there is no snow," he said He said that if the potatoes are covered, the moisture will reach them.
'Our household expenses and children's education are from potatoes, if this crop is not harvested, we will have trouble making ends meet,' he said The change has affected the farmers of the highlands and Himalayan regions the most. Nirmala Thapalia of Shailung-8 said that due to lack of snow on time, it is affecting the potato cultivation done by the farmers in the Himalayan region.
'We have planted potatoes, every day I look to see if there is a cloud in the sky, to see if there will be a single fall of snow,' she said, 'After planting the potatoes, it did not snow for moisture.' Last year, about 4 lakh potatoes She said that it was saved and earned. "This year is like the last year, we have not seen snow yet," she said. ?'
Locals say that there is snow and winter rain when planting potatoes. They say that potatoes die due to lack of moisture in the soil due to lack of snow and winter rains. Those who have already planted potatoes have to use sewage to harvest the crop. Some farmers are preparing to use sewage after snowfall.
