I am Chetnath Koirala, an organic farmer from Gauradaha Municipality-4, Jhapa, Nepal.
I have been engaged in organic farming for the past four years, being affiliated with the Maharanijhoda Small Farmers Agriculture Cooperative Ltd. (SFACL). Currently, I am farming both organic seasonal and off-seasonal vegetables on my .33 hectare (10 Katha) farm. Maharanjhoda SFACL has provided me with low-interest loans to initiate my organic farming. The SFACL has been supporting me regularly to sell my organic produce in the market and to potential off-takers. Furthermore, as long-term support for organic farming, the Maharanijhoda SFACL is also planning to establish an organic vegetable market in Gauradaha to ensure a market for small-scale producers like myself.
Many other organizations and agencies have pledged support for our farming. However, none of these agencies has so far provided us with any kind of support directly. The government also introduced and allocated budgets for the empowerment of farmers and further improvement of their situation, but these grants and support are out of reach for farmers like us. We have not received any direct support for our organic farming.
If these grants and support provided by the state can be provided directly to farmers, we can move on from subsistence farming towards commercial farming for better livelihood and income opportunities. So, I would like to request the honorable minister to kindly design and execute programs that will help farmers like us directly.
Chetnath Koirala
Nepal
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