July 14: Most of the local units of Khotang district have started implementing programmes for promotion of tea and coffee farming.

Most of the local levels have implemented programs to promote tea and coffee cultivation with the aim of utilizing the fallow areas in the highlands and to increase the source of income by creating jobs for the local residents in their own villages.

Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality, the largest local level in the district with 15 wards, has distributed 25,000 coffee plants for free this year. With the target of planting 500,000 coffee saplings within five years, the municipality has set up a nursery to grow 200,000 coffee plants.

Deputy Mayor of Diketl Bishan Rai said that the coffee cultivation promotion program has been implemented with the goal of producing 1 million kg of processed coffee per year. It has been found that the demand for coffee has increased a lot in the district.

Coffee now has an annual capital flight of over Rs 200 million.

“Within the next few years, the rural municipality's goal is to meet the demand for coffee throughout the district," said Rai, adding, "We have determined pocket areas for coffee cultivation and distributed 25,000 saplings to the farmers this year. We are planning to distribute 200,000 saplings next year. Farmers have also become excited after the municipality provided saplings free of cost.”

Meanwhile, Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality has started converting Mysangtar hill into a tea garden. The rural municipality has planted seven thousand tea plants on the hill in Ward-6 Chitapokhari on about 40 acres of government land.

The hill, which also has Paruhang Park  in Sumni, is a favorite destination of domestic tourists.

Lokendra Rai, chairman of the rural municipality, said that with the increase in the number of domestic tourists in the coming days, they also plan to attract foreign tourists and to provide employment from agriculture

“We have started converting Mysangtar hill into a tea garden. Every day, domestic tourists come to Mysangtar Hill where you can see the views of the mountains and plains along with the various terrains of the district,” he said.

This year, the municipality planted 7,000 tea plants and is preparing to increase the number of plants continuously in the coming year.

Kepilasgarhi Rural Municipality-1 Fedi has also started planting tea plants. Ward chairman Neerkumar Rai said that 200,000 tea plants will be planted this year with the financial and technical support of the Watershed-based Climate Uplifting Livelihood Project.

According to the rural municipality, commercial tea plantation was started in Fedi since last year.

Similarly, Sakela Rural Municipality, the smallest local level of the district (having only five wards), has planted seven thousand saplings this year.

According to the rural municipality, workers have also been hired to take care of the tea garden of Tawa Bhanjyang, a tourist spot.

Birsika Rai, deputy chief of the rural municipality, informed that the purpose of the rural municipality is to attract internal and external tourists by linking tea cultivation with tourism promotion.

Commercial tea cultivation has also been started in Kapase Bhanjyang located in Khotehang Rural Municipality. According to the rural municipality, 15,000 tea plants provided free of charge by the Temke-Thamdanda Agricultural Cooperative Society have been planted.

The local levels have said that preparations are being made to process and use the produced tea and coffee in the district. According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, there are 62,360 hectares of cultivable land in the district.