Maoist fighter's inspiring vegetable farm

By Gokarna Dayal, Baitadi, Nov. 27: Arrested, tortured and then thrown in the jungle by the security forces believing he had died, Chintamani Bhatta survived for a teacher rescued him, and now he is a model farmer in his village. Bhatta had done nothing wrong as such but taken membership of the then CPN (Maoist) which was carrying out people’s war.

A resident of Hatarnga, Melauli Municipality-6, Bhatta has been making an income of almost a half of million rupees by vegetable farming on a ropani of land, and at this time when most youths are abroad for employment.

He has also imparted training to over 25 farmers in his own village on agriculture in order to encourage them to become self-reliant. Additionally, he has shared his success story in agriculture with thousands of farmers within and outside the district across the country for the last seven years.

He shared that he has been able to pay for the technical education of his two sons from the income from the vegetable farm. He has also been involved in poultry and supplying chickens to the local market.

Bhatta said he was arrested in 2002 by the security forces on suspicion of being a Maoist and then beaten critically and then left in the jungle. I was left in the jungle while I was being taken to the location for murdering me, he said.

“I took membership of the Maoist party in 2000 when I was doing the second year of Proficiency Level. But, within two years I got arrested. I was beaten severely. When I gained consciousness, I found myself at the side of a road in the jungle. Later on, I knew that a teacher had rescued me saying that I was not a Maoist,” he said.

Thereafter, Bhatta left his village and went to Kanchanpur and then to India where he lived underground for months and finally returned home village after the peace process. “When I came back here, I started to cultivate in the fallow land.”

Although he took membership of the party, he found more joy in agriculture than in active politics. And now he is an inspiring farmer to many.  

“He came and started the revolution in agriculture in the village. He taught us about commercial vegetable farming and 25 of us are into the business,” said Dasharath Bhatta, a frontline farmer at Hataranga, Melauli Municipality-6.

 Under the Chief Minister Programme for Model Agriculture Village, this village has received 25 polyhouse tunnels as the entire village is involved in vegetable farming, said Dasharath Bhatta.

 Dropati Bhattar, another frontline farmer of the village, said the provincial government and the local government last year provided technology and tools as assistance to the village and now production of both seasonal and unseasonal vegetables has started in the village.

The agri-products of the village are sold at the local Melauli market and the farmers have become self-reliant, according to the farmers.