Bodhichitta farmers hit hard due to pandemic

RAMECHHAP, OCTOBER 4

Bodhichitta farmers in Ramechhap have been facing problems after Bodhichitta seeds could not be sold this year due to the coronavirus pandemic-induced crisis.

Local farmers at Sunapati and Khandadevi rural municipalities carried out Bodhichitta farming.

Bethan, Khaniyapani of Sunapati and Makadum and Pakarbas of Khandadevi are the pocket areas for cultivating Bodhichitta. Farmers plant Bodhichitta trees in the pocket areas every year.

They have been hit hard as businessmen did not come to buy the products. Earlier, businessmen used to come to farmers’ doorsteps to buy Bodhichitta. But this year they have not visited the areas due to the coronavirus-induced crisis situation.

The farmers planted saplings costing Rs 5,000 each, brought from Timal, Kavre.

A single tree of Bodhichitta used to provide earnings ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 6 lakh to farmers.

Such economic prospects led local farmers to Bodhichitta farming and they opted to plant Bodhichitta saplings instead of seasonal crops.

However, the farmers are worried as their products have not been sold this year.

Chairman at Sunapati Rural Municipality Dhawa Lama said the farmers earned Rs 20.5 million by selling Bodhichitta seeds last year.

He said seeds worth Rs 20 million could not be sold this year. However, efforts to sell the products online are on.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 5, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.

The post Bodhichitta farmers hit hard due to pandemic appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

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