Nepal is an agricultural country with 65.6 % of its total population involved in farming. The farming practice here in Nepal is of subsistence as there are small land holdings. About 40% of the total Terai population depends on farming, which is substantially higher than the hilly and mountainous region. The harvest of the region is supplied to all parts of the country, including Kathmandu. Produces such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, and lentils are distributed in the valley through designated vegetable markets.
The food items that are brought to Kathmandu are then sold at higher a price, where transportation and storage charges are also added. Sometimes, due to monsoon floods, the prices of green vegetables increase when they become scarce in the market. Kathmandu’s requirements of vegetables are addressed by the supply from Terai.
Karnali Highway becomes operational
Kathmandu needs 500 tons of vegetables daily. However, citing the degraded productivity, its supply is limited to only 250 tons. The main supply chains of vegetable in Kathmandu are Kalimati wholesale vegetable market, and Balkhu vegetable market.
Vegetables are brought in Kathmandu Kalimati market from districts like Parsa, Dhading, Kavrepalanchowk and Sankhu. Whereas, wheat comes Sindhupalnchowk. Potatoes are transported to the Kalimati market from Bhaktapur and Kavre. Onions and garlic are brought from India.
During transportation of vegetables from outside the valley, problems such as traffic jams, quarantine checks and strikes occur. The delay sometimes leads the vegetables to perish. Many vegetables are thrown away at wastes that are not edible causing higher losses in production. Consequently, this contributes to lesser supply in Kathmandu market forming shortages in demand for vegetables.
Farmers use chemical pesticides for higher production of crops which as a result causes deterioration in quality production of food. Nepal is still behind in production of crops at a commercial level. Thus, improvement in technology, seeds, and reduction in the use of pesticides should be encouraged for better production.
