Youths open agriculture market in Kavre

Nine youth s in Kavrepalanchok district have opened an agriculture market with an investment of Rs 40 million. The bazaar, which has been launched as part of a youth self-employment initiative, is located on the way to Budol in Banepa Municipality. All types of farm products including maize, wheat, millet, potato and fruits are sold at the market which came into operation on April 14. The promoters of the enterprise are Raj Kumar Basnet, Saroj Duwal, Vijay Shrestha, Bikram Manandhar, Bal Krishna Shahi, Dhana Shahi, Nati Bhai Manandhar, Bil Bahadur Manandhar and Shanti Raj Khadka. The market is registered under the name of Kavre Agro Market Multipurpose. “The future of Nepal lies in agriculture” said company chairman Basnet. “We want to show that large incomes can be made from agriculture if we work hard.” The market is spread over 10 ropanis of land and has 110 stalls and warehouses. It can handle 10 trucks at a time. Basnet said that farmers were not getting appropriate prices for their produce due to lack of a proper market even though the district is a leader in agricultural production in the region. “The market will help farmers to get their produce to market, and consumers too will not be cheated by middlemen,” he added. Another investor, Saroj Duwal, who is also the manager of the market, said the newly established market was the biggest one after those in the Kathmandu valley. “Every type of agro product is available here under a single roof, and we have accorded priority to products from the district.” Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs have also planned to invest in an agro farm. They aim to forge a partnership with farmers for commercial farming. The agriculture market has adopted an integrated approach with all the necessary arrangements to ensure safety and convenience for consumers. It has modern digital machines for weighing, 24-hour security guards, managed warehouse, parking and auxiliary power from generators for times of power cuts. Currently, 10 percent of the vegetables and milk produced in the district is consumed locally while the rest is shipped to the Kathmandu valley. Vegetables like potato, tomato, cauliflower, cabbage and chilly, among others, are produced in large quantities in the district. Panchkhal, Nala, Mahadevsthan, Jaisithok, Jyamdi, Kushadevi and Dhungakharka are considered to be pocket areas for vegetable farming. Kavre has established itself as one of the largest producers of potato and milk. “About 70,000 tonnes of vegetables produced here are shipped outside the district,” said Sahadev Humagain, chief of the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO). “Farmers will benefit from the opening of the market here.” According to DADO, 134,038 tonnes of vegetables were grown on 8,253 hectares of land during the last fiscal year.