Animal raisers scour fields for wheat husk

By Our Correspondent

Urlabari, Apr 21 : Two decades ago, the farmers used to burn the husk of wheat in the fields but now people have started coming to the fields to buy it. People used to come from cities in cars to buy mustard directly from the fields in February and March, but now they have started coming to get husk.

Fertile lands are decreasing not only in cities but in villages as well. Though land to produce cereals is decreasing, commercial animal husbandry is getting popular. There are 12/15 cattle in every village as well and not only in the marketplace. People are going to fields of villages from cities in search of wheat husks animal husbandry is getting more popular day by day.

A decade ago the paper factories used to take husk for Rs. 5/7 thousand per truck. Time has changed now. Farmers are selling husk at the rate of Rs. 7000 per bigha even though they are only giving 15 kattha. 

A lot of people can be seen going to villages in the southern part of Morang in search of husk. Shaligram Koirala, a resident of Kanepokhari-3, Rajgunj, said that people came in cars in search of mustard at the start of March and now they are coming in search of husk.

He also added that farmers charged a lot this year. People from the marketplace paid handsomely so the farmers charged up to Rs. 7000 even for a man (40 kgs) of mustard. The same thing is happening now. He said his products from the fields are enough for him but every day 10/12 people come to the village in search of husk.

German Murmu of Kanepokhari–3 Harakpur sold 15 kata's husk at the rate of Rs. 6000. He is even more delighted after getting the job of filling the sacks. He said that he charges up to Rs. 50 per sack. They are earning money not just by selling husk but by filling and loading it as well. Santosh Sah of the same village sold husk of one bigha at the rate of Rs. 7000.

Not only German and Santosh but Hemchandra Bhandari sold husk of 12 katthas for Rs. 5000. He said people come to give advance payment. So why not take it? In the past, it used to take two weeks to burn all the husk of his six bighas of land and they had to keep an eye on it so that it does not cause any harm.

Now people come to their houses to give money. Not only the sellers but even the buyers are happy to pay money.  Indra Prasad Koirala of Kanepokhari-7 said that agricultural production is decreasing so they cannot keep livestock if they do not collect husk. He said that he bought Rs. 10,000 worth of husk along with the vehicle expenses.