Coffee farming increasing to ward off monkey menace

DAMAULI: The agricultural cooperatives institution has established a coffee nursery in Lilachowk of Shuklagandaki Municipality-12 with a campaign to promote commercial coffee farming.

A total of 10,000 coffee saplings are being produced in collaboration with Shuklagandaki Municipality and the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, said Manraj Gurung, Chair of the cooperatives.

He said that the cooperatives will be distributing the coffee saplings to the farmers and also arrange marketing for the sale of coffee produced by them. Coffee farming is sustainable and can be harvested in less time compared to other cash crops, while it can also ward off the wild monkeys that feed on the agro produce.

Coffee farming campaign has been started with the aim of making good use of barren land within Shuklagandaki Municipality and increasing income generation opportunities for the youth, said Head of Agriculture Branch of Shuklagandaki Municipality, Navaraj Pandit.

Last fiscal year, the municipality distributed 500 coffee saplings and 10,000 saplings will be distributed this year.

According to Pandit, the farmers are encouraged towards coffee farming as there is a possibility of commercial coffee cultivation in an altitude of 800 to 1400 meters. The coffee produced by the farmers here has been sold in Kaski, Syangja and other districts.

Since there is less damage from wild animals such as monkeys and there is a good possibility of coffee cultivation in barren land, preparations have been made to distribute twice as many saplings next year.