March 15: Farmers have kick-started collective potato farming at Chapakot Municipality, Syangja. 
Potato planted by farmers through the different groups in the plains of Chapakot is ready to be harvested.

Local farmers have implemented collective potato farming in wards no 8,9, 10 of Chapakot Municipality, Syangja.
Coordinator Ramu Bashyal of Belchaur Seetaltar Farmers Group said that they had been attracted towards the collective farming as plantation of the potato in group would make the potato cultivation easy and cost-effective rather than individual farming. 

 “For want of people to work in the farm, cultivation would be tough. But, working in the group has made it easy. Collective farming has enabled to earn skills and technology for the cultivation,” Bashyal stated. According to him, the 450 kilograms of potatoes was planted in four ropani land for the first time. 

As many as 22 individuals are directly involved in the potato farming. The group could not produce the potato as expected due to lack of irrigation facility this time. “We have produced more than 1100 kilograms of potato. We shall sell the produce through the group,” Bashyal added.

Belchaur Seetaltar Mothers Group Chair Ishwori Bashyal says that planting potato collectively is far easier than doing it individually. “We get a chance to learn and apply new skill and technology while cultivating the potato through the group,” Ishwori Bashyal said.

According to Surya Majhi of Chapakot-10, potato has been cultivated in 11 different toles by forming groups consisting of 35/40 individuals. Mothers and sisters have formed 11 different groups and planted potato in ward no 10 alone.

“We have amalgamated old and new groups and cultivated the potatoes targeting to make the ward 10 pocket area for potato,” Majhi said. Potato has been planted in 150 ropani of the land in Chapakot-10. The concept of collective potato farming is also being executed at ward-8 of Chapakot, ward chair Toplal Neupane said.