Palpa: A youth of Rampur Municipality, is on a mission to revive sugarcane farming in his community. Cultivating sugarcane on 15 ropanis of land, he was inspired by memories of large-scale sugarcane farming he witnessed as a child. Over the years, however, the practice had declined, leaving him puzzled. “Sugarcane farming doesn’t require intensive labour, so I wondered why farmers had abandoned it,” he said.
Determined to bring back the tradition, he reached out to neighbours, relatives, and friends, encouraging them to restart sugarcane cultivation. His efforts paid off, and with the help of six other young enthusiasts, they formed Hamro Bahudeshya Krishak Samuha, a multipurpose cooperative dedicated to sugarcane farming.
Another local farmer has been busy harvesting sugarcane, cleaning, crushing, and producing jaggery for the past three weeks. “From mid-December to mid-February, I spend my days operating machines and making jaggery,” he shared.
Once a thriving hub for sugarcane production, Rampur Municipality saw a sharp decline in farming as the older generation migrated and younger residents showed little interest in agriculture. “Two decades ago, Rampur was a key area for sugarcane farming, but now it’s almost disappeared from the hills and mountain regions,” he explained.
Sugarcane farming once covered around 2,000 ropanis in areas like Khaliban, Rampur, Geja, and Gaidakot. Today, it has dwindled to just 50 ropanis. This decline has forced Rampur to import jaggery worth Rs20 million last fiscal year, a situation that has motivated local youths to revive the industry.
Sugarcane is primarily grown for producing jaggery, a local sweetener known as sakkhar, and sugar. Nepal produces an estimated 3 to 4 million tonnes of sugarcane annually, but production has fluctuated due to challenges such as limited irrigation, outdated farming practices, and a lack of modern machinery.
Through the cooperative, sugarcane is now being cultivated on 35 ropanis, with plans to expand to 100 ropanis in the future. The decline in farming has been attributed to migration from the hills to the Tarai region, but some areas like Geja, Jabgadi, Piluwa, Lamdikhola, Rampur, and Gadakot still practice sugarcane farming.
In the past, Rampur’s jaggery was widely distributed to markets in Syangja, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Tanahu, Butwal, and Bhairahawa. However, the labour-intensive process of jaggery production, which involves crushing sugarcane and boiling its juice, has deterred many farmers.
Despite these challenges, many are now working to revive the industry. “There’s no problem selling organic jaggery,” said a farmer from Rampur. “I wonder why farmers stopped growing it.” She recalled how Lamdikhola’s jaggery was once a hallmark of the region, with traders visiting farmers’ homes to buy the product directly.
He noted that some youths, including those returning from abroad, have started sugarcane farming after recognising its potential. “The decline in farming is partly due to the desire to migrate abroad for work, but many are now returning to agriculture,” he said.
To support the revival, Rampur Municipality has provided new machines to ease the crushing process and offered subsidies on loan interest for farming groups or individuals. Mayor Raman Bahadur Thapa emphasised the importance of expanding sugarcane farming to boost Rampur’s identity and achieve self-reliance in cane-related products.
With the completion of the Kaligandaki Corridor, which connects the Siddhartha and East-West highways, transporting Rampur’s jaggery to markets like Narayanghat, Butwal, and Pokhara has become easier. This infrastructure development, combined with the efforts of local youths, is breathing new life into Rampur’s sugarcane farming tradition.
