Farmers taking to onion cultivation for income potential

By Our Correspondent,Ilam, Jan. 27: Farmer Prakash Parajuli of Sandakpur Rural Municipality-2, Ilam, who sold 65 man (2,600 kg) of onions last year, is currently busy planting onion saplings.

Parajuli has started farming onion commercially after realising that it can bring good income, which are mostly used as spices and vegetables in Nepali kitchens.

He said that he has started planting onion saplings this year too after seeing an example from last year that onions imported from India in large quantities can be produced in his own fields. 

This year too, he has prepared the onion beds by keeping one kilogram of onion seeds. 

Parajuli said that he planted onion seeds with 50 per cent grant from Sandakpur Rural Municipality and 50 per cent of his own investment.

“This time, I have been preparing 10 ropanis of land for planting onions. There has also been a demand for onion seedlings for sale, but as the rural municipality is also investing, I will have to plant all the seedlings myself,” he said.

He said that the onion market is good and there is no need to take it far for sale.

“The produce can be supplied to the local market. I think it would be good if other farmers also planted onions,” he said.

Parajuli said that other farmers in Sandakpur Rural Municiplaity-2 have also started producing onions from 40 kgs to 240 kgs.

Meanwhile, farmer Sambed Chapagain of Ilam Municipality-5 has planted onions on two ropanis of land. 

Chapagain, who produces and sells vegetable seedlings, including cauliflower, akabare chilli and tomatoes, said that he has also sold around 6,000 saplings of onion.

“I sold the hybrid variety saplings of onion at the rate of Rs. 5 per sapling. I have planted the remaining saplings myself,” he said.

“This is new for me, I wanted to plant onions with the target of selling. Let’s see how the production is, and only then will I expand the cultivation next year,” he said.

On the other hand, Mohan Subedi, a farmer from Maijogmai Rural Municiplaity-5, is also selling onion saplings at this time. 

Subedi said that he is selling the onion seedlings that have remained after planting onions on his three ropanis of land.