Couple tilling leased land in Panchthar produce 174 muri of paddy

By Our Correspondent,Phidim, Dec. 24: Makar Bahadur Tamang, a farmer of Lapsibung of Phalgunanda Rural Municipality-1, Panchthar, has become the best paddy producer for the second consecutive year in the rural municipality.

He and his wife Tikamaya Tamang have been selected as the best paddy producer provided by the rural municipality. They produced 174 muri of paddy (approximately 13,900 kg) this year.

However, they have not produced this paddy in their own land as they have only 2 ropanis of land in their name. They produced the paddy by tilling other’s land either in the lease or on the basis of giving half of the yields to the landowners.

Tamang, who has been cultivating paddy taking land in rent and contract with landowners, was also awarded as the best farmer of Phalgunanda for the first time last year. He produced 168 muri of paddy last year. 

Meanwhile, Til Bahadur of the same rural municipality produced 108 muri paddy and Dipsan Chemjong produced 115 muri paddy, said Brijhang Angdembe, chairman of the Phalgunanda Rural Municipality.

According to him, only three farmers, including Chemjong and Tamang, have grown more than 100 muri of paddy this year. 

Similarly, the number of those farmers growing paddy from 50 muri and up to 100 muri has reached 43, chairman Angdembe said.

The rural municipality had started giving a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 to farmers growing 50 muri to 100 muri and Rs. 50,000 to those growing more than 100 muri from last year.

According to Nirmal Adhikari, chief of planning and administration section of the rural municipality, the reward has encouraged farmers to increase paddy production.

This year, people’s representatives and employees of the rural municipality reached the field of farmers producing more than 50 muri paddy at the harvesting time and monitored weighing, Adhikari said.

The best rice growers, a Tamang couple, had planted paddy seeds of 65 pathi. They planted paddy using 76 bullocks and more than 160 workers.

There is a plan to honour the farmers who produced more than 50 muri of paddy in Phalgunanda with special facilitation, said Debi Tumbapo, Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality.