Shailung potato growers rewarded

By Our Correspondent,Kathmandu, July 13: Tej Bahadur Karki, a farmer in Bhainse of Shailung Rural Municipality-8 in Dolakha, has won an award for growing large potatoes. This is the first time he has won such an award for growing big potatoes even though has been involved in potato cultivation for long.

The rural municipality recently organised the first potato exhibition programme in coordination with the Ward No. 8. Ward Chairman Dhan Bahadur Tamang said that since the potato from Shailung is famous all over the country as 'Potatoes from Mudhe', to make it a brand of Shailung and to further encourage the farmers to produce more potatoes, the exhibition programme was organised. 

According to Tamang, 27 potato farmers from the ward participated in the exhibition and all the potatoes displayed in the exhibition were of good quality. 

Karki said that he had received money only by selling potatoes, but this time he was provided with a certificate and a purse of Rs. 4,500 in prize. 

He won the first prize by growing a potato weighing 2,676 grams. His excitement has gone up with the award. 

Likewise, Bhola Koirala of Dhade in Shailung-8 came second in the competition with a potato weighing 2574 grams. He said that the competition motivated him to grow even larger potatoes. According to him, the local government should have similar creative and support programmes to encourage farmers.

Similarly, Tika Bahadur Karki of Shailung-8, Paiti, won the third prize for his potato weighing 2562 grams and Bhim Bahadur Basnet of Shailung-8, Tamakhubari won the fourth prize for his 2530-gram potato. 

The runner-up of the competition was given a cash prize of Rs. 3,000, second runner-up received Rs. 1,500 while consolation prize was of Rs. 1,000. All the winners received certificate in recognition of their achievement. 

In recent years, the farmers of different villages of Shailung-8 have been commercially producing large quantities of potatoes. The farmers of Ward No. 8 have been producing nearly 5,000 tonnes of potatoes annually. The main markets for potatoes produced in Shailung is the capital city Kathmandu, Charikot, district headquarters of Dolakha district, and surrounding areas.