Dadeldhura, a hilly district of the Far West, where potato production is increasing, has also started to come into the limelight for its seed potatoes. As seed potatoes have started to generate good income, local farmers have started to increase their production.

Seed potatoes produced from Dadeldhura have started to be sold as far as Bajhang, Baitadi, Doti, Achham, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Darchula and Dailekh. In the current fiscal year alone, there are reports that about 2,000 quintals of seed potatoes have been sold outside the district. Of which, 800 quintals are winter and 1,200 quintals are spring potato seeds. Farmers have earned more than 13.3 million rupees from the large quantity of seed potatoes.

Khemraj Awasthi, a farmer from Ganyapadhura Rural Municipality-1, said that he has been selling the seed potatoes he has produced to Bajhang, Baitadi, Doti, Achham, Kailali and Kanchanpur. He said that he is excited to increase production as the demand for seed potatoes has increased recently. However, due to the open border between the Terai districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur, local farmers have been affected to some extent as cheap potatoes are being imported from India. Farmer Awasthi says that cheap imported potatoes increase competition in the market and create pressure to reduce the price of local products.

According to him, farmers in the hilly areas, where production costs are high, have had to struggle to get a fair price. However, despite such challenges, the increasing demand for seed potatoes and market expansion are motivating farmers to continue farming potatoes and invest more.

Similarly, farmer Dharma Bhatta of Amargadhi Municipality-1 has also said that he has been sending seed potatoes to Bajhang, Achham, Doti, Darchula, Baitadi and Dailekh. He said that farmers are attracted to it as they earn good income from seed potatoes. The potatoes produced here have reached Chitwan and are being sold. Bhatta said that the demand for potatoes here is good in the external market as they are tasty and of good quality.

Potato farming is expanding throughout the district, including areas around Dadeldhura district headquarters such as Tadibata, Beta, Bhatakanda. Agricultural technicians say that farmers are being attracted to potato farming commercially as the potatoes produced here are of good quality due to the suitable climate and soil. After starting to earn good income from seed potato production and sale, many farmers have expanded their commercial farming.

National Agricultural Modernization Program, Program Implementation Unit (Potato Superzone) Dadeldhura Chief and Senior Agriculture Officer Pitambar Basnet said that the program is working to systematize the production, management and market expansion of seed potatoes. He said that preparations have also been made to systematically identify and take seed potatoes produced in Dadeldhura to the market.

According to him, potatoes are cultivated in Dadeldhura in two seasons a year. Winter potatoes are planted in Asoj-Kartik and brought in Mangsir-Pus, while spring potatoes are planted in Magh-Phalgun and produced in Jestha-Asar. He said that potatoes are being cultivated in an area of ​​more than 1,122 hectares in the district and up to 30 metric tons per hectare are produced.

A tagging system will be implemented from this year to maintain the quality and reliability of seed potatoes. Details related to the source of the seed, place of production and germination will be revealed through tagging. Basnet said that implementing the tagging system will make it easier to determine responsibility if any problem is found in the seeds in the future.

He said that the certification process is being made mandatory as according to the Seed and Seed Act, materials without tags are not recognized as seeds. He said that there is a plan to systematically certify and distribute seed potatoes, which were previously being sold and distributed normally, from next year.