In Baitadi’s Patan Municipality–8, farmer Keshav Bista is hopeful for a strong potato harvest this year after favorable and timely rainfall. Bista, who earns around NRs 800,000 to 1 million annually from potato farming, says he is optimistic that both production and income will increase this season.
“Because it has rained at the right time, we are expecting good production. The fields are now covered in greenery from potato crops,” Bista said. “We also cultivate other seasonal vegetables along with potatoes.”
Wards 8, 9, and 10 of Patan Municipality are considered a prime pocket area for potato farming. Like Bista, most farmers in the region are becoming increasingly self-reliant through potato cultivation combined with seasonal vegetable farming. According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baitadi, the district exports potatoes worth NRs 150 to 200 million annually.
Chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Haridatta Joshi, said production could increase by up to 20 percent this year compared to previous years due to intermittent rainfall.
However, despite being a productive pocket area for seasonal and off-season vegetables, farmers continue to face losses every year due to a lack of irrigation and cold storage facilities. There is no cold storage facility in the area, forcing farmers to transport potato seeds to Darchula for preservation, according to local farmers.
Cold Storage Facilities Remain Idle, Farmers Struggle
Two cold storage facilities built in the Khodpe area of Patan Municipality using provincial and federal government investment have remained unused for years.
Farmers say the lack of operational cold storage has made it difficult to preserve agricultural produce, including potato seeds. Another farmer, Nara Bahadur Bista, said that the facilities built in the region have not been put into operation due to a lack of attention from responsible authorities.
One cold storage facility built in Khodpe under provincial government support cost around NRs 4.2 million but has never been operational. It was completed in fiscal year 2022/23 but remains unused. Operator Mohan Dev Bhatt reportedly received a NRs 1.5 million subsidy from the provincial government but has not brought the facility into use. Agriculture officials say Bhatt is currently out of contact.
Similarly, another cold storage facility in the same area has not been completed. Built under the former New City Project Office at a cost of NRs 8.42 million, it remains non-operational due to a lack of electricity connection.
Officials from the Integrated Urban and Building Construction Project Office, which now oversees the former New City Project, said that electrical installation and some technical equipment remain incomplete. Budget for electricity connection has not been allocated, and it has been requested for the upcoming fiscal year.
