29 May 2017 | Himalica

Vegetable Collection Center Launched in Bagaha, Udayapur

Three farmers’ cooperatives from Udayapur-Triyuga Milijuli from Bagaha, Murkuchi from Murkuchi, and Navapravat from Saune-came together to launch a common vegetable collection center in Bagaha, Udayapur, on 8 May 2017. The farmers hope to gain greater reach through collective marketing via a single sales depot and hence greater control over the quality and branding of the vegetables being sold.

With proper branding, buyers and traders can be informed that the vegetables coming from the collection centre in Bagaha are all organically grown, using organic natural manure and farming techniques. There is also the possibility of marketing these vegetables beyond Udayapur under the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica) initiative’s “Fresh and Healthy Vegetables from Udayapur” brand.

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Farmers bring vegetables to a recently established common collection center in Bagaha, a Himalica pilot site

Himalica’s pilot project in Udayapur has been training farmers on climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies that can strengthen vegetable value chains, with an emphasis on the production of fresh and healthy vegetables. The idea of launching a common vegetable collection centre had been in the minds of farmers long before the formal decision was made during a meeting held in the morning of 8 May at the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), Udayapur by the Triyuga Milijuli Agriculture Cooperative. The meeting, organized to promote the commercialization of vegetables produced in the district, was attended by various value chain stakeholders. Attendees included 39 executive members from the three cooperatives, representatives from the Udayapur district development committee , DADO staff, Himalica staff, traders, and media reporters.

Shyam Ghimire from Himalica provides insights into how the collection centre will be run

With trust already established between the three cooperatives working in the same sector it was natural for them to come together to form a vegetable collection centre of their own. This arrangement ensures that all vegetable farmers in the cooperatives will work in an integrated manner to protect their interests and support each other. Farmers in Himalica pilot sites in Udayapur, Nepal, are now fully trained in climate resilient vegetable production practices and technologies, and produce tonnes of vegetables annually. However, in the beginning, when they were independent farmers, they were struggling to find markets for their perishable vegetables. Now, with their own vegetable collection centre, they will have proper coordination and better bargaining powers via-a-vis traders and buyers due to the economies of scale. This may further encourage other farmers and non-farmers to take up commercial vegetable production in Udaypur.