In Phalgunanda Rural Municipality of Panchthar, a reward of Rs 50,000 is given to those who grow more than 100 muri of rice. Miklajung Rural Municipality also gives a reward of Rs 100,000 to families who produce more than 40 muri of rice.
What you should know
Farmer Dipsan Chemjong of Falgunanda Rural Municipality-7 in Panchthar has a field of only 10 ropanis. He cultivated 229 murris and 5 pathis of rice this year. On the hilly slopes, rice is produced at an average rate of only 5 murris per plantation.
This year, Dipsan has managed to produce so much rice by adding 35 ropanis of additional land to his 10 and keeping a 90-pathi bed in his hands. The 29-year-old Dipsan, who produced 229 muri 5 pathi of rice, succeeded in occupying the best position among the farmers to be awarded by the rural municipality this year.
Makar Bahadur Tamang of Falgunanda-1 grew 158 muri 8 pathi of rice this year. Last year, he grew 174 muri of rice and the previous year, 168 muri of rice, and was continuously honored and awarded as the best farmer. 'This year, I could not be the first because the fields that grew more than 50 muri of rice were washed away by the flood, but I ended up being the second,' said Makar.
Makar has only 5 ropani of rice in his own name. He has also been included in the list of the municipality's best farmers by planting rice in the fields that were almost barren on the banks of the river.
Most of the farmers here, including Dipsan and Makar Bahadur, have fields on the banks and slopes of the river. The reason for cultivating so much rice traditionally by plowing such steep land with oxen is not only for livelihood, but also for the awards given by the rural municipality.
'Before the rural municipality gave the award, rice was barely grown up to 40 muris, after the award was announced, people took land from Adhyaya and Kutma and started farming. Earlier, the villagers did not know about it, but now they are known as farmers who grow a lot of rice all over the country,' said Makar Bahadur.
Phalgunanda Rural Municipality of Panchthar has been giving cash awards to encourage farmers who grow more than 50 muris of rice. This rural municipality has started such work since 2080. The rural municipality has made a policy to give a cash reward of Rs 30,000 to those who grow more than 50 muri and Rs 50,000 to those who grow more than 100 muri.
Chairman Brijhang Angdembe says that the reward has been started to encourage farmers after the exodus of youth and the problem of fertile fields becoming barren. People's representatives and employees visit the farmers' fields to determine whether the rice has grown or not.
Initially, applications are collected from farmers as per the criteria set by the rural municipality and notification is given for claiming the reward along with the application for growing more than 50 muri rice. And, after collecting applications from all wards, the people's representatives and employees who go for evaluation have established a practice of assessing the rice as soon as it is harvested.
After assessing the rice of all the farmers, a public program is organized in the rural municipality and the farmers are collectively honored and rewarded. ‘This policy has been taken to increase agricultural production and make barren land fertile,’ said Angdembe. The number of rice producers has been increasing every year since the municipality started encouraging farmers. ‘In 2080, the number of farmers producing more than 50 muri was only 29, but it increased to 42 in 2081. This year, 58 farmers have become participants of the award,’ said Angdembe.
Continuous in Miklajung
Miklajung Rural Municipality of Panchthar had started giving awards to farmers since 2076. This program is still ongoing in Miklajung, where a prize of Rs 100,000 is given to families producing more than 40 muri. The rural municipality had launched the award with the aim of motivating farmers to produce more than 40 muri to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and the food crisis that may arise in the rural municipality due to the lockdown.
Here, farmers who grow maize and potatoes like rice also get awards, where farmers who grow maize in a way that fills a four-foot-high and 20-foot-long corn basket are also given an award .
Similarly, farmers who produce more than 35 manas (40 kg per manas) of potatoes are being given an award of Rs 20 per kg, says Santkumar Serma, the vice-chairman of the rural municipality. Both the municipalities have started giving awards by making a procedure for honoring and distributing awards to farmers to motivate them to increase agricultural production .
'Guru Kisan' in Rong
Man Bahadur Rai of Rong-1, Ilam, grew 15 manas of cardamom on 12 ropanis of land last year. Some farmers here have not been able to produce 10 manas of cardamom when cultivating on 30 ropanis of land.
Man Bahadur, who has produced large quantities of grain or cash crops on a small area, has now become the 'Guru Kisan' of this municipality . The rural municipality has introduced a new concept, 'Guru Kisan', to select farmers who produce more in less area as 'Guru Kisan' and make them compete in productivity. Rong Rural Municipality has launched the 'Guru Kisan' program to improve the condition of farmers with low income levels.
The municipality has selected 121 people as 'Guru Kisan' in the first phase.
These farmers were selected in the first phase from among about 4,500 farmers within the municipality. The said program has been introduced to make farmers compete in productivity, says Mani Kumar Syangbo, the chairman of the rural municipality. The 'Guru Kisan' procedure has been approved by the executive to bring uniformity in matters such as farmers' production, quantity, quality, and continuous production.
Under the program, the municipality has also been helping farmers with training, seminars, and purchasing modern tools. 'Guru Kisan' Dil Kumar Aryal says that this program has provided encouragement at a time when farmers are migrating from the agricultural profession.
