Now that organic crops and herbs produced by local farmers in Saipal will be easily available in Chainpur itself, both consumers and farmers will benefit.
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Now, organic products from Saipal, the district’s most remote and largest Himalayan rural municipality by area, will be available for purchase right in the district headquarters, Chainpur.
With the aim of providing easier market access for herbs and agricultural produce from Saipal Rural Municipality, the ‘Saipal Organic Souvenir House’ has been opened in the district headquarters, Chainpur.
The Souvenir House has been established through the initiative of Saipal Rural Municipality and the Agriculture Knowledge Center Bajhang. The Souvenir House offers for sale products from the high Himalayan region such as millet, buckwheat, amaranth, foxtail millet, beans, horse gram, soybeans, potatoes, honey, ghee, and sukuti (dried meat). Likewise, juice from wild rhubarb, dried wild greens, herbs, and other organic agricultural products will also be available for purchase. Saipal Rural Municipality has stated that various handicraft items produced by local farmers will also be displayed.
Although there is high demand in the district for agricultural and forest products from Saipal, they were not easily available before, as it takes two to four days of walking to reach the market. “On one hand, agricultural products grown in the Himalayan climate are in demand not only in Chainpur but also in cities like Dhangadhi and Kathmandu. On the other hand, due to transportation problems, these goods were left unsold in Saipal itself.”
Inaugurating the Souvenir House, Saipal Rural Municipality Chairperson Manbir Bohara said, “Now, people in the market will get Saipal’s organic products, and Saipal’s farmers will receive the value of their hard work.”
Janak Bahadur Singh, head of the Agriculture Knowledge Center, said the Souvenir House was launched with the goal of bringing organic crops, fruits, herbs, and other local products produced by local farmers to the market at fair prices. “We hope this will not only promote local products from remote areas but also ensure that farmers’ labor is valued and create opportunities for self-employment,” he said.
Saipal Rural Municipality Vice Chairperson Dolma Tamang said the Souvenir House would play an important role in establishing (branding) the identity of the municipality’s organic products. “Consumers will also have access to local products in the market that have not been grown using chemical fertilizers or pesticides,” she said. “We believe this will further inspire local farmers to increase production.” In Saipal, where road transport has yet to reach, all agricultural produce is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Ghuran Bohara, operator of the Saipal Organic Souvenir House, said the Souvenir House will now go directly to farmers’ homes in Saipal to purchase their products. “Because there is high demand for Saipal’s products, we are also planning to facilitate commercial farming to help farmers increase production,” he said.
Previously, high transportation costs and difficulty finding buyers made it hard to bring products to market. Now, since products will be purchased right in the villages, farmers will directly benefit, he said.
