Dhankuta farmers attracted to commercial kiwi farming

Kabiraj Ghimire / Hile Dec. 16: Recently, commercial cultivation of kiwi has started in Mahalaxmi Municipality-2 of Dhankuta. Every farmer in Toribari and Hilekharka of Mahalaxmi Municipality-2 is engaged in kiwi cultivation. There are about 50 families living in these two villages.

In this area, which is a pasture, vegetables were cultivated in some places until some time ago, but most land remained barren. But now this entire area is covered by kiwi cultivation, said local Shubha Narayan Paudel.

“Earlier, vegetables were cultivated in some areas here, and everything else was empty, but now the entire village is covered with kiwi,” he said. In 2010, local Jangamani Paudel brought kiwi saplings from Dolakha and started cultivation for the first time in the village.

After that, kiwi cultivation gradually spread in the village. Padam Rakhal, ward chairman of Mahalaxmi Municipality-2, said that the entire village is now covered with kiwi cultivation.

According to him, kiwi plants have been planted in around 500 ropanies of land in two villages and around 10 tonnes of kiwi is being produced annually. He said that the area of kiwi cultivation is increasing every year.

Mayor of Mahalaxmi Municipality Dhrubaraj Rai said that the municipality has been declaring the place as kiwi pocket area and providing various assistance to attract farmers to kiwi cultivation.

“We are trying to develop the entire zone as a kiwi area and are carrying out various programmes along with the declaration of the pocket area,” said mayor Rai.

He said that preparations are being made to open a processing industry from private sector to ensure the market for kiwi. A farmer of this village has been cultivating kiwis on five to 100 ropanis of land, he said.

Initially, kiwis were sold for about Rs. 250 per kg, but now, farmers complained that they are selling them for Rs. 70-80 per kg. Farmer Dil Bahadur Lungeli said that they face some problems in kiwi cultivation because the initial investment is high and they have to wait for a few years for production.

“Initially, we started farming with the expectation that we would get a good price, but now we are not getting the price as per expectation,” he said.

Kiwi processing industry

A kiwi processing industry is being built in Toribari village to consume kiwi locally. Durgamani Paudel has taken initiative for the construction of kiwi processing industry. Durgamani is the son of Jangamani Paudel, who started kiwi farming in that village.

Paudel, who has been living in Kathmandu for a long time, said that he is going to establish the industry in the village, seeing good prospect for kiwi. He said that he is going to operate the industry including kiwi farming on about 100 ropanis of land.

According to him, about Rs. 80 million has been spent in the industry so far. Paudel claimed that once the industry is operational, around 300 tonnes of kiwi will be consumed annually in the industry itself.