 BHARAT KOIRALA |
After working for 10 years in a farm in Japan, Mesh Bahadur Gurung decided not just to return to Nepal, but to his native Kaski and start an agricultural cooperative. The 45-year-old management graduate has tried to put into practice what he learnt in Japan, even though many here warned him it was a very risky investment. The farm is located in Sardi Khola in Kaski at 1,240 m, about 20 km from Pokhara, over a 80 hectare plot surrounded by mountains. The Parbatiya Agricultural Cooperative has members who have invested Rs 200,000 each and is the biggest cooperative in the district with an investment of Rs 3.5 million. "We are currently carrying out a market study and we will decide on what to plant after talking to customers and traders, we believe organic vegetables are healthier and tastier," explains Gurung. The farm is already growing tomatoes and has built 96 greenhouses for the autumn vegetable planting. Because it is an organic farm, Gurung also aims to keep livestock for manure and to sell meat. "This is an exemplary project," says Beni Bahadur Karki of Kaski's Agriculture Development Office, "it has encouraged others to do the same." The cooperative is a model for creating well-paying jobs within Nepal that keeps youths from going abroad for work.
