Farmers in Tarakhola, who dream of becoming self-reliant in agriculture, are frustrated by not finding a market despite producing dozens of products, from kiwi to potatoes.
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Farmers affiliated with the Padhenrakhola Asturi Agricultural Group in Tarakhola Rural Municipality-3 Hill produced and sold more than 1,000 liters of kiwi juice in the current fiscal year. Group member Deukumari Roka said that if they get a market, they can double their production next year. ‘Production can be increased in the village, it is difficult to find a market,’ Roka said, ‘If we had a market, we could have become self-sufficient by producing at home.’
Chairman Dhan Bahadur Bik says that the rural municipality has increased its investment seeing the possibility of providing employment to the youth in the village if kiwi can be commercialized. Farmers are looking for a market by making juice in half-liter and quarter-liter bottles. Dozens of products are being produced in Tarakhola, which has the potential to increase agricultural production and create employment in households. But the materials here have not been able to find a market.
Ganga Roka of Tarakhola Rural Municipality-4 makes attractive materials from alloco rope. She also trains the younger generation about allo materials. For the past 26 years, her daily life has been spent weaving allo. She processes allo found in the forest and makes yarn. Bishnu Roka from Ward 5 Karimela is also involved in her campaign.
They have been making millions of rupees by making allo materials for years. They have a collection center in a place called Dhasamar. Many women participate in spinning yarn and weaving clothes from the collected allo. Some come to the center and work, while others are found weaving clothes at home. They are also invited as trainers for training in various places. Ganga said that she has trained allo entrepreneurs by going to places such as Jaimini Municipality and Badigad Rural Municipality. There are more than 50 people who weave allo cloth in Tarakhola alone.
There are people who make Dhaka goods in Argal, Ward 2. Four years ago, after Yamkumari Thapa of Baglung Municipality-10 reached Tarakhola and trained the group, 20 women here are regularly making Dhaka materials. The use of Dhaka fabrics is also increasing in urban areas. Representatives of mothers' groups, cooperatives and various organizations have made Dhaka saris and shawls and worn them as dresses. However, they still have a problem with the market.
When modern and machine-made goods dominate the market, hand-woven materials cannot easily compete in the market. Therefore, they are frustrated because they cannot sell their materials easily. 10 young Nepali people from Ward 5 are busy making handmade paper. They are trying to take their production to the city. At Janprem Secondary School in Ward 1, students are also taught to spin yarn, make materials from yarn, and make halojuwa and bamboo materials. Principal Naindra Gurung said that they will not have to remain unemployed after completing their schooling as they will have learned skills.
The rural municipality is listed in the potato and cardamom zone. That is why most of the farmers are involved in potato production. 'Every household here has farmers who grow 100 to 200 quintals of potatoes,' said local Amrit Ghartimagar. 'Even those who grow only for home consumption are becoming commercial.'
Tarakhola's potatoes are famous in Baglung, Pokhara, Butwal and Gulmi. According to the data of the rural municipality's agriculture department, 3,297 metric tons of potatoes were grown in Tarakhola in the fiscal year 2080/81. Commercial cardamom production is being carried out on 300 hectares here. More than 50 people have become full-time employees in cardamom production. Others are producing cardamom along with other household chores. To market these products, farmers here need quality roads and reliable businessmen who can guarantee purchase.
The road from Rijalchowk to Tarakhola has been dilapidated for years. Along with the challenge of making this road quality, there is also the challenge of marketing farmers' goods. 'Many have come to seek votes in the elections, but it remains to be seen who will support the marketing of our products,' said Roka, 'We are ready to work hard, but the political leadership should find a market.' Hundreds of farmers here are engaged in commercial production. They said that they have not been able to make it regular for the market.
Farmers of Tarakhola-5 make jhilinga from millet and wheat flour and sell it. Locals are also active in weaving bhangro, which is needed for the festivals of the Magar community. There are 22 stone industries within Tarakhola rural municipality. Stones are cut from their own fields and sent to the city to be used as tiles. About 500 people are employed in these industries.
The rural municipality has set a goal of creating at least 5,000 youth jobs by employing local entrepreneurs in all the work done in the group, said the rural municipality chairman Dhan Bahadur BK. He said that for employment to be sustainable, the products must find a market and the district and central leadership should show interest in it. According to BK, so far, about 1,000 youth have been involved in some kind of production within the municipality.
