Potato farmers in Kanchanpur hit hard as cold stores remain non-operational

Kanchanpur: Despite strong potato production, farmers in Kanchanpur are being forced to sell their produce at low prices due to a lack of storage facilities. Although all three tiers of government have invested crores of rupees in building cold stores, farmers are bearing the losses as these facilities remain non-operational.

Farmer Prem Rokaya of Dodhara Chandni-8 said that this year his potato crop grown on five katthas has yielded good production. However, due to lack of storage, he is forced to sell potatoes at just Rs 15 per kg. He added that even potatoes set aside for seed have started rotting, forcing him to buy seeds again at high cost for the next season.

The problem is not limited to Dodhara Chandni alone. According to Aryan Dagaura, a farmer from Bedkot Municipality-7, after the local cold store stopped operating, potatoes must be transported to Kailali for storage. He said transportation, labor, and storage together cost around Rs 1,000 per quintal. Due to this situation, many farmers have already abandoned potato farming, while others are preparing to do so.

The provincial government alone has allocated more than Rs 11.4 million for the construction of cold stores in Dodhara Chandni and Punarbas. Including federal and local government investment, more than Rs 20 million has been spent on cold stores in Kanchanpur. However, the cold store in Dodhara Chandni, completed three years ago, has still not come into operation.

Although the municipality cites the absence of a three-phase electricity line as the reason, farmers say they are suffering due to government negligence. They fear that without a long-term operational plan, such infrastructure investments will go to waste and the situation may repeat itself.