Tea farming starts in Lalitpur district

Tea farming starts in Lalitpur district
ArthaExpress, 27-Sep-2007

Tea farming has also begun in Lalitpur district now. Earlier, coffee was grown in Lalitpur. The Modern Organic Tea Development Pvt Ltd (MOTD) has been producing some 6,00,000 tea saplings in 20-ropani of land in Chandanpur for commercial tea development. Production of tea saplings has been started from August to November.

Some 40 persons have found direct employment from the Modern Organic Tea Development Pvt Ltd while producing saplings. Tea saplings have been distributed in the south-eastern hilly villages of Kaleswor, Chandanpur, Gotikhel, Manikhel, Bukhel, Devi Chaur and Ghusel. Not only in private land but the tea farming has also been picking up collectively. Industrialists, businessmen and teachers have also been attracted to tea farming commercially currently. Balaram Banjara of the company, who is also a businessman of Chandanpur, said they have started production of saplings for the commercial production of tea.

He said the farming has begun by bringing cut plants from Ilam. The company has planted some 3,000 plants in Kaleswor- 9 alone. Headmaster of Nawodaya Primary School Kaleswor, Nawaraj Dahal has also planted some 450 plants on his field.

“It will change the lifestyle of the people,” said Chandanpur ex-VDC chairman Rhishi Ram Ghimire. “There is a good potential of tea farming in Lalitpur because of fertile soil and geographical condition,” said tea expert Taramani Khatiwada.

Tea can be planted in Nepal upto the altitude of 6,600 feet. It can yield for two to three years after planting once. In Nepal, tea farming began in 1920 BS by Ganarajsingh Thapa, the son-in-law of the then prime minister Jung Bahadur Rana.