Foreign employment returnee Rai turns barren land into productive field

By Rajan Bhattrai, Khotang, April 16: A piece of land left without cultivation for over 40 years has now been turned into a lucrative farming field.

Till a few years back, the land was covered with bushes, but now it produces food grains, thanks to Khamba Chamling Rai, a foreign employment returnee.

Maize, soybean and millets would be grown in the Durchim Churidanda area of Halesi Tuwachung Municipality-5 before the residents left the village for cities or foreign employment.

"I have utlised 12 ropanis of land although I have 27 ropanis. I cut off the bushes, ploughed and dug the land piece by piece to prepare the land for farming," Rai said.

Rai, 48, spent his childhood here before he went to India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for employment.

"I have a plan to utilise the remaining piece of land for growing fruits such as oranges and lemon," Rai said, adding, "I have already started rearing goats here."

Although Rai has a house some two kilometers away from his family land, he has now built a hut on the land of parental property.