By Amar Raj Naharki
Tanahun, Oct. 3: When people picture retirement, they picture rest. People spend their retired years with friends and family and take up hobbies. Some may travel to exotic destinations or go on holidays. Very few retire from their jobs only to start another, more labour-intensive, work but, as it turns out, Dhan Bahadur Rana is one of those few.
Rana retired from civil service two years ago. Before his retirement, he was the undersecretary at the Plan Protection Laboratory in Birauta, Pokhara – a position which allowed him to acquire immense knowledge of crops and agriculture.

After retiring from his job, Rana wanted to use this knowledge to do something for the society, utilise his ancestral land at Baniyatar, Bandipur Rural Municipality–1, Tanahun, and attract youths towards agriculture. He found a way to do all three at once by cultivating lemons.
So, Rana planted 800 lemon saplings in 22 ropanis of land 14 months ago at a cost of Rs. 950,000 and began his journey into lemon farming. Talking to The Rising Nepal, Rana informed that he had planted two varieties of Gold Lemon and one variety of Madrasi Lemon.

“Rana has implemented his knowledge very effectively and can be a source of knowledge for other farmers and groups,” said Kul Prasad Tiwari, head of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Tanahun. “That is why we plan to establish Rana’s farm as an educational centre.”
The Knowledge Centre has also provided Rs. 580,000 to set up a drop irrigation system. “Rana’s farm has helped locals understand the nitty-gritty of lemon cultivation and can help meet the demand of the market,” Tiwari said.

According to Tiwari, there is a high demand for lemons in Nepal, but nearly 90 per cent of it is met through imports from India.
“Our farmers lack technical knowledge, so are not able to keep their plants safe from pests and diseases. They need to be provided with skills and training and Rana can play a crucial role in this,” he stated.
Seven farmers of Baniyatar have already established lemon farms of their own by learning from Rana.

Rana has also partnered with seven other agriculturalists to establish a laboratory in Chauthe, Pokhara Metropolitan City–14, to produce mushroom seeds. The lab, which will be established at a cost of Rs. 10 million, will soon begin producing seeds of oyster mushroom, Rana said.
“There is a huge demand for mushrooms that Gandaki Province has been unable to fulfil. We want to change that,” Rana said.