DHANKUTA, August 7: Pakhribas Municipality in Dhankuta has inaugurated a coffee development program citing the high value of Nepal’s coffee in the global market and with an aim to improve the livelihoods of the local farmers.
In the inauguration program, chief guest Rajendra Kumar Rai, member of parliament, stressed the need to expand coffee cultivation on a large scale and engage in quality coffee production as there is high potential for coffee production in Nepal. He also requested the farmers of Pakhribas Municipality to shift toward coffee cultivation as the region is known for its capacity to grow coffee.
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Similarly, speaking at the program, chief of the District Coordination Committee, Tanka Chauhan said that the problem in achieving prosperity in the country is due to the inability of the educated people to get engaged in agriculture. Citing the problem, he urged the youths of the country to get involved in the production and business sector.
According to Jeewan Rai, agriculture engineer and agriculture specialist of the municipality, 4,800 hectares of agricultural land out of 6,387.40 in the municipality will be used for coffee plantation. He said that the municipality is preparing to plant 8.4 million coffee plants, which is speculated to produce 24 million kilograms of coffee after five years.
The municipality is looking forward to constructing a coffee hi-tech nursery at the cost of Rs 4.5 million, a coffee processing center at Rs 5.5 million, conducting extensive research and planned training in the areas where coffee cultivation is possible. Furthermore, there is a plan to build a coffee brand in Pakhribas Municipality and Dhankuta and move ahead with activities for coffee tourism in the region.
On the occasion, ward chairman Gopal Thapa, Mayor of Mahalaxmi Municipality Parshuram Nepal, chairman of CPN-UML of the Parkhibas Shanti Ram Gautam and other guests wished luck for the success of the coffee development program.
