Leumaya Sarki, 52, of Simpani Bharamchaur, Marsyangdi Rural Municipality-9, Lamjung, has her husband and son abroad for employment. She is responsible for everything from household chores to farming. Despite the rush of paddy planting with the onset of Ashar, it is difficult to find oxen in the village. In a similar situation, she received a hand tractor from Marsyangdi Rural Municipality on Thursday at a 50 percent subsidy.

‘Now it will be much easier to work. I will have to learn and plow the fields myself,’ she said happily.

Like Leumaya, Sugdan Gurung, 65, of Sanjapu, Marsyangdi Rural Municipality-5, is also shocked after receiving a hand tractor. ‘The oxen in the village started disappearing.’ The tractor has arrived,' he said, 'So far, the tractor has not been plowed, now we will start plowing.'

Not only these two farmers, 60 farmers from the rural municipality received hand tractors on Thursday. According to Binod Dahal, head of the agricultural development branch of Marsyangdi rural municipality, 47 hand tractors of 5.5 horsepower and 13 of 7 horsepower capacity have been distributed. Since 50 percent subsidy has been provided, the farmers have borne only a minimum of 28 thousand to a maximum of 32 thousand rupees depending on the type of tractor.

The rural municipality has distributed hand tractors and other agricultural equipment under the approved annual agricultural mechanization program for the current fiscal year 2082/83. Rural municipality chairman Arjun Gurung said that mechanization has been given priority due to the increasing labor shortage in the agricultural sector and the decreasing use of traditional animal power. ‘We have provided the necessary equipment to the farmers in line with the goal of making agriculture modern and professional,’ he said, ‘We believe that this will reduce production costs and make farming easier.’