Due to the recent decline in local production in Kanchanpur, the availability of vegetables in the market has come down and prices have skyrocketed. The change in weather has brought problems to the growth of vegetables and cash crops. Former president of the Kanchanpur Market Entrepreneurs' Association, Tarkaraj Bhatta, said that local vegetables like beans, gourd, and eggplant came to the market but other vegetables are being imported from the Indian market.
According to Bhatta, vegetables including capsicum, onion, potato, beans, ladyfingers, and carrots are being imported regularly from India. "Due to the sudden rise in temperature and harsh winters till February, the tomatoes cultivated by the farmers were severely damaged," he said, "Fewer products have reached the market this year than in the past."
Similarly, samples of vegetables imported through Gaddachauki are being tested at a laboratory at the market in Attaria, Kailali, said Bhatta. "Vegetable samples from Gaddachauki customs are imported only after inspection", he said, "Consumers are able to consume quality vegetables due to this. ”
Khyali Ram Barma, who has been cultivating vegetables in a 2.5 bigha field in Bhimdatta Municipality-19 Bagphata, said that the tomatoes planted in 15 plots this year have been completely damaged. "I planted tomatoes in mid-November, but due to rains and extreme cold, all the plants became useless," he said, Barma, which has been cultivating vegetables here for the past 13 years, said the price of tomatoes and lemons has skyrocketed.
Traders say that even though the price of gourd and persimmon has come down in the market, other vegetables are still expensive. Anil Prasad Chaudhary, a vegetable trader of Mahendranagar's vegetable market, said that the price of lemon has gone up. "We used to sell lemon peas for Rs 5 to Rs 10 at most", he said, "Because it costs Rs 500 per kg, we are forced to sell up to Rs 20 per piece." He said that there was no shortage of vegetables in the market even though local production was declining.
Similarly, Janak Singh, Agricultural Technical Assistant at Krishi Gyan Kendra, Kanchanpur, said that there was a shortage of vegetables in the market as new vegetables were yet to come to the market and old ones were out of production. "Seasonal vegetables have not been produced yet", he said, "It has always been difficult to get green vegetables at this time. ”
Stating that the availability of vegetables will be eased in a few days, he informed that the number of people cultivating vegetables commercially is increasing in the rural areas of the district.
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