Cold Storage Facility Under Construction in Tikapur Set to Begin Operations This Year

Dhangadhi: A cold storage facility being constructed in Tikapur, Kailali under the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project is being prepared for operation within this year. Currently, final-stage works such as electricity installation and refrigeration setup are underway.

According to Bharat Kandel, chief of the Agriculture Program Implementation Unit of the project, although the construction deadline is set until the end of Mangsir 2083 (mid-December 2026), efforts are being accelerated with the goal of bringing the facility into operation this year.

Once construction is completed, the cold storage facility will be handed over to the Rani Jamara Kulariya Cold Storage Operation and Management Committee. At present, the main canal committee of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation System Water Users’ Association is distributing shares of the cold storage project.

Chief Kandel said that by last year, 85 percent of the construction had been completed, and the remaining work is now being carried forward. He added that separate contracts have been signed for the remaining construction, electricity, and refrigeration works at a cost of NPR 13.46 million (Rs 1 crore 34 lakh 66 thousand 915). Currently, 75 percent of the investment comes from the project and 25 percent from users.

Earlier, the cold storage structure itself was built at a cost of NPR 70.67 million (Rs 7 crore 6 lakh 69 thousand), with 80 percent investment from the project and 20 percent from users.

The facility, which has a storage capacity of 1,000 metric tons, is primarily planned for potato storage.