Dilli Oli, a 52-year-old farmer from Banfukhola, Bagchaur Municipality-12, has been engaged in commercial potato farming for three decades. He has been cultivating potatoes on five ropanis of land and has been producing and selling 70 to 100 quintals of potatoes every year. He says he has been earning more than 5 lakh rupees annually.

Bir Singh Oli, 49, from Bafukhola, has been cultivating potatoes on 7 ropanis of land for two decades, abandoning other crops. He claims to earn up to 400,000 rupees annually by selling potatoes. He has been easily supporting his family of seven with the money he earns from potatoes. After taking up potato farming, he has found employment at home for the past two decades.

Not only these two, but farmers from all 10 municipalities in Salyan are engaged in commercial potato farming. Farmers engaged in commercial potato farming have produced 52,351 metric tons of potatoes worth 1.71 billion 42 million rupees in the fiscal year 081/082. They have exported 8,864 metric tons worth 290 million rupees.

Farmers from 10 local levels in the district had planted potatoes on 4,435 hectares of land, including 2,705 hectares for summer and 1,730 hectares for winter. A total of 52,351 metric tons of potatoes were produced, including 32,065 for summer and 20,250 for winter. The potatoes produced by the farmers were exported to Surkhet, Dang, Pokhara, Kathmandu, and Nepalgunj.

After the district residents started exporting potatoes worth crores of rupees annually, it has not only become easier to earn a living, but the financial condition of many has also improved. Potato farming has provided employment to many at home. Farmers in the district, who used to go to various places in India to earn money for their household expenses in the past, say that after they started commercial potato production, they have stopped going to various places in India for employment.

Farmer Ratiram Oli said that farmers of Bagchaur Municipality-11 and 12 Bafukhola have been producing potatoes on more than 1,000 hectares of land and earning more than Rs 120 million annually. He informed that more than 600 families from the two wards have been engaged in potato farming since the past. According to him, in the past, farmers of Bafukhola were forced to go to Shimla, India, with their families to work as laborers. After engaging in commercial potato farming, everyone has found employment at home and their economic situation has improved.

Ward Chairman of Bangad Kupinde Municipality-12, Lal Bahadur Gharti, said that 75 farmer families in Chaur village have been cultivating potatoes on 300 ropanis and exporting potatoes worth Rs 2.5 million annually.

He informed that all the farmers have been taking the produced potatoes to Surkhet and selling them. 'Farmers who have been cultivating potatoes to obtain salt, oil and for daily vegetables since the past have only started doing it commercially for a decade.' Now each household is selling 60 to 100 quintals of potatoes. Even though the district is a remote settlement, it has become easier for all farmers to spend money from commercially produced potatoes,' he said.

Chiranjivi Shrestha, Information Officer of the Agricultural Development Office, Salyan, said that potatoes, which were previously grown only in limited areas for vegetables, have started to be produced in large quantities after the area has increased with commercialization. He informed that although potatoes worth 1.71 billion rupees are produced, most of the potatoes are consumed within the district.