Jajarkot farmers attracted to pulse cultivation

By Our Correspondent,Jajarkot, July 14: Farmers here have been attracted towards the cultivation of pulses. They have been attracted towards the cultivation of pulses after it became difficult to earn a living with traditional crops. 

Farmers started planting pulses after establishing a zone for pulses under Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project.

To improve the living standards of people who are self-reliant through agriculture and increase their income, the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project has established pulses zones in Bheri Municipality, Chhedagad Municipality, Junichande Rural Municipality and Shivalaya Rural Municipality and expanded black gram and soybean cultivation. 

As the land is hilly and requires little irrigation, soybean and black gram cultivation has been carried out on about 936 ropanies of land in various wards by managing ponds. 

The Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, which has worked in the orange, honey, and walnut zones, has expanded pulses.

According to Ganesh Bahadur Thapa, chief of the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, Project Implementation Unit, farmers have earned good income from orange, honey, and walnut cultivation. 

Recently, pulse cultivation has been expanded to the various wards including 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 of Bheri Municipality, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13 of Chhedagad Municipality, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 of Shivalaya Rural Municipality, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 and 11 of Junichande Rural Municipality, as it has been shown that farmers can become self-reliant and improve their income from pulse cultivation.

Out of about 936 ropanis of land in four local levels, soybeans have been cultivated in 769 ropanies of land and black gram in 167 ropanies. 

He said that in order to increase the income of farmers and preserve the fertility of the soil, 2,300 kg of soybean seeds and 250 kg of black gram seeds have been distributed through agricultural firms, cooperatives and groups.

According to Hira Bahadur Gharti of Bheri Municipality-9, farmers have been attracted to modern farming by leaving traditional farming. 

He said that farmers have started cultivating soybeans collectively on 110 ropanies of land by registering an agricultural firm. Soybean has been cultivated on 80 ropanies of Bheri Municipality-7 which was barren for the past 20 years.