Hetauda, 13 March: Devraj Neupane, 61, of Makari, Manahari Rural Municipality-1, Makawanpur, spent his energy in India for 23 years with the dream of earning money. Despite driving a vehicle there for 23 years, he was unable to earn money. Meanwhile, the Corona pandemic spreading around the world became an excuse for him to return to his homeland. After struggling to feed himself in the country where he had worked hard for years, he returned to his village. This moment became an opportunity for him. After working hard in his village, he has succeeded in becoming a commercial farmer in less than seven years.
Neupane said that he currently earns about Rs 100,000 per month. Despite spending 23 years in another country, he is still limited to earning a living from morning to evening, but he is very happy now that he has achieved good success in a short time by sweating on his own soil. “Every need of the family, from the education of his two children, has started to turn around easily. Yesterday, even if we ran into problems, we used to have a lot of problems due to lack of savings. Now I have also been able to save some money,” he told RSS.
His current business is agriculture and animal husbandry. Neupane, who returned to Nepal after recovering from the injuries caused by the Corona epidemic, has succeeded in earning a good income in the same field that he left barren yesterday and went abroad, today by putting in labor and sweat. He has currently planted 300 Malpa banana varieties on nine acres of land. Neupane said that he is earning more than Rs 300,000 annually from it. Similarly, he sells 40 liters of milk daily from four milk-giving cows, making a turnover of about Rs 900,000 annually. “I am doing tomato farming, commercial banana farming and cattle farming in plastic houses (tunnels). I am using the necessary pesticides for vegetable farming in an organic form. I have built a tank to collect the urine of four cows and five calves. I use the same urine in vegetables,” he said. “That is why I never had to worry when complaints were coming in that there was a problem due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers everywhere. “On the one hand, organic production, and on the other hand, using manure and urine produced in one’s own barn and garden, there is no need to spend money outside. Not only does it generate business, but it also generates good income by cutting expenses.”
Neupane, a farmer who started using cow urine as a treatment after soil tests found it acidic, said he is doing commercial farming without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He says, “I don’t need chemical fertilizers and pesticides and I don’t spend money on them. I have raised cows, I have fertilizer and pesticides.” He said that he has planted 10 acres of land with jain grass and nepi for the cows. Neupane said that by using everything from his own fields, he earns an income of Rs. 700,000 per year by selling milk worth over Rs. 900,000.
He is cultivating tomatoes in four plastic houses (tunnels) and also grows cabbage as an intercrop. Neupane, who grows Shrijana and Kabita varieties of tomatoes, said that he has been producing 50 quintals annually and selling them locally for up to Rs. 250,000.
Despite the hardships of starting this business, Neupane is reaping the rewards of his hard work. The standard of living is improving through this business. He believes that if the government can encourage local production, provide subsidies to reduce costs, and regulate cheap bananas and vegetables from across the border, many farmers like him will benefit. He also urges that the use of chemical fertilizers be discouraged and that the use of organic fertilizers like his own and cow dung be increased, soil fertility should be tested from time to time, and that the government at all three levels should cooperate with the commission to solve the problem.
