Process to set up National Betel Nut Research and Processing Centre begins

By Bishnu Prasad Pokharel,Damak, Nov. 20: The process to establish a National Betel Nut Research and Processing Centre in Arjundhara of Jhapa district has begun. The Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) team visited the site and deemed it suitable, thus paving the way for further steps.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire has taken the initiative to set up this research and processing centre. Speaker Ghimire visited the land promised by Arjundhara Municipality for the Centre on Monday and held discussions with local farmers engaged in areca nut cultivation.

Arjundhara Municipality's Mayor Baldev Singh Gomden Tamang stated that the local government was committed to providing the necessary land for the centre. “We will allocate land as needed,” he said, adding that local farmers are delighted about the potential establishment of a national-level betel nut research centre.

Jhapa leads Nepal in betel nut production. The government has designated Arjundhara and surrounding areas as a Betel Nut Zone, supporting farmers in boosting their production. The Betel Nut Zone has been operational in Jhapa since 2018, and it has focused on infrastructure development, commercialisation and processing.

Betel nut, a plant with medicinal properties, has evolved from being used for decoration to becoming a well-recognised cash crop. 

According to Rabindra Subedi, Chief of the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernisation Project Implementation Unit in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, betel nut farming is now widespread in Jhapa, Ilam, Morang, and Sunsari. Under the modernisation project, the government launched the Betel Nut Zone in 2018 covering areas of Buddhashanti Rural Municipality, Arjundhara Municipality and wards 1 to 4 of Mechi Municipality.

The main betel nut varieties in Jhapa include Mangala, Mohitnagar, Nalwari, Sumangala, Swarna Mangala, and Madhuram Mangala. Subedi said that up to 1,350 saplings of betel nut are planted per hectare. They start yielding fruit after five years. 

According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre Jhapa, at least 20,000 farmers benefit directly from commercial betel nut farming in the district. The crop is cultivated on 2,631 hectares of land, producing over 9,710 tonnes of the product annually.