Ishwor Aryal, Kathmandu. Farmers at Sirseni of Gulmi have switched to coffee farming from maize and millet cultivations they were doing for long. After switching to this lucrative cash crop, they have also been relieved of the compulsion of conflicting wild boars and monkeys.

The change has been facilitated by the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project Implementation Unit, which has provided farmers with essential resources including technique for commercial production, nursery plants, fertilizers, and other materials needed for successful coffee cultivation.

Thirty households in Sirseni came together to form the Tindhare Coffee Production Farmers’ Group four years ago. Each household now cultivates between 50 and 2,000 coffee trees.

Meghlal Aryal, a member of the group, said the coffee plants, which were planted four years ago, have begun to bear fruit. He said they are comfortable with the farming as they need to battle with animals and birds which would come to ‘destroy’ their crops.

Aryal is a farmer who grows the highest number of coffee plants. He has more than 2,000 plants in his garden. He said several of these plants have started producing coffee pods and therefore making income for him.

“The fields which were under maize and millet in the past are now all covered by coffee plants. I have planted coffee on the entire 10 ropanis land. Other farmers are also motivated after I planted coffee plants,” Aryal said.

Sashidhar Aryal, another coffee farmer, said coffee farming has raised new hope among the farmers compared to planting other crops.

Chief of the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, Ganga Kumari Pokhrel said that they have been providing coffee saplings, fertilizer, irrigation paraphernalia, shading materials, nets and wire etc. to the farmers for expanding commercial coffee cultivation.

According to her the farmers are imparted technical know-how on coffee farming and processing through the Coffee School from time to time.

Although the farmers are attracted to coffee cultivation, they complain that their coffee plants are damaged by pests and pathogens that are seen from time to time.

Known as the initiator district of coffee cultivation in Nepal, coffee covers 241 hectares in Gulmi these days.

The local governments as well as various offices like the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, the Coffee Development Centre Aanpchaur, and Coffee Research Centre Bhandaridanda are working in coffee farming in the district.