Nepalgunj — An estimated 218 metric tons of cotton refined by Cotton Development Committee Khajura for selling have remained stockpiled at its godown. Refined cotton worth Rs 45 million have been accumulated in the committee’s godown as a result of the gradual slump in sale of cotton in the past five years.
The problem surfaced after Hetauda Textile Factory and Butwal Thread Factory were shut down. The committee had been buying raw cotton from the farmers, refining and supplying them to the market.
There was a demand for around 10,000 metric tons of cotton in Nepal before Hetauda Textile Factory and Butwal Thread Factory were closed.
“The committee that could produce 4000 metric tons of cotton earlier can only produce 95 tons of cotton now,” said Bijaya Joshi, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the committee. Until 2056 BS, the committee used to collect cotton from the farmers and sell them to Hetauda Textile Factory and Butwal Threat Factory after refining the raw cotton.
With the objective to make the country self-sufficient on cotton and to support the livelihood of poor farmers by providing pesticides and cotton seeds in subsidy, the government had established the Cotton Development Committee in 2037 BS.
The cotton farming expanded to Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts after the committee’s central office in Khajura of Banke district started distributing cotton seeds and pesticides to the farmers in subsidy.
The committee has been visiting the houses of farmers in Dang, Banke and Bardiya and buying the produce and cotton seeds at the rate of Rs 80 per kg.
After the collection of cotton along with seeds, the committee has been refining the cotton and separating seeds and fiber, selling the refined cotton at Rs 218 per kg and seeds at Rs 20 per kg. This year, the committee sold 148 metric tons of cotton.
The committee sold the cotton to retailers who make quilt and mattress after the refined cotton couldn’t be sold even after calling for tender repeatedly.
Declining sale
The committee had produced around 4000 metric tons of cotton in 2056/57 BS while 8700 farmers were involved in cotton farming. But the production slumped to 1700 metric tons in the year 2052 after the then underground rebel Maoist launched its people’s war. Then the production sank to 400 metric tons in 2059 BS, and 100 metric tons in 2061 BS. In the past five years, the cotton farming has been sharply declining and many farmers have abandoned the profession.
The condition of Cotton Development Committee has become pathetic after the government reduced the subsidy to the committee from this year.
Last year the government had provided Rs 251 million in aid to the committee. With the government aid, 470 farmers of Banke, Bardiya, and Dang cultivated cotton in 110 hectares of land. An estimate 95 metric tons of cotton was produced last year. According to committee’s agriculture officer Om Prakash Gautam, the cotton farming area, number of farmers and cotton production will decrease in the current fiscal year 2075-76 as the government has reduced the grant to Rs 19.9 million.
Joshi said the programs operated in three pocket area including Fulbari and Goltakuri of Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan in Dang, and Kusum of Banke have been shut down this year. Cotton farming was done in these places for many years.
Around 9000 farmers were directly benefitted from the committee until the fiscal year 2058, but the number of direct beneficiaries dropped to 470 by 2075. It is estimated that the cotton farming area will slump by 20/25 hectares in area and the number of farmers is likely to go down by 60/70 following the shutdown of programs in three pocket areas.
Downward journey
Apart from cotton’s use in making thread and textile, its plant can be used for making thick paper and cotton seeds can be used for making vegetable ghee and feed for animals and birds. The potential multi-use of a single produce had created a wave of cotton farming in western Terai region.
The Cotton Development Committee had to bear a loss worth Rs 59.3 million during the conflict when its property came under attacks including explosions, arson, and robbery. In Khumber alone, 25 buildings, bulldozer, grader and tractor among other property were destroyed.
The property which once had 325 staff is been run by 16 employees now. Branch offices of Dang, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur have been shut down. “The government has not taken it seriously even though the committee has suffered this plight,” said CEO Joshi.
The committee management has been functioning on an ad hoc basis for the past two years. The Agriculture Minister has not even deployed Chief Executive Officer.
When Dr Baburam Bhattarai was the finance minister, a budget of Rs 15 million had been allocated for the continuation of cotton farming. The government had also waived the loan of Rs 9.1 million taken by the farmers from the committee for cotton farming.
As the government increased its grant to the committee, it started providing 50 percent subsidy to farmers in seeds, fertilizers, and pesticide spray tanks from the fiscal year 2066/67.
Seed project in limbo
The government’s plan to make self-sufficient in seed production has been left in lurch after the committee’s 120 hectares of land were distributed to landless squatters.
Around half a dozen bodies including Nepal Agriculture Research Council, and National Seeds Company had prepared a plan of Rs 13 million for five years since the 2061/62 to produce seeds of major crops such as cotton, wheat, rice, and maize in Kumbher farm. The plan plunged into uncertainty after the commission formed to resolve the problems of landless squatters distributed the committee’s land with irrigation facility that were captured during Maoist insurgency to the squatters.
The committee, which had been operating with difficulty by taking a loan of Rs 290 million from Asian Development Bank for a period of 2043 to 2049 BS, suffered another blow when the commission on resolving the problems of landless squatters distributed its 120 hectares of land to even it was trying to reclaim its captured land from the Maoists. Moreover, the farmers also captured around 430 hectares of land by taking advantage of the situation. The committee had allocated the land to the farmers on the condition of paying yearly installment by cultivating cotton in 25 percent of land.
The future of the committee plunged further into uncertainty after a high-level committee led by then Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nathu Prasad Chaudhary, concluded that the committee’s captured land at Kumbher would not be returned.
Now, the committee has only three hectares of land in Jamuni of Bardiya and two hectares in Hekuli of Dang. Armed Police Force have been using the committee’s godown of Jaumuni and staff quarter building of Taratal since 2063. A majority of the buildings owned by the committee including the Khajura-baed office building, staff residence, godown, and cotton refine center are in dilapidated condition.
The recently built buildings of the committee have been rented out to World Food Program and various business firms. Now the rent money of Rs 250,000 is the committee’s major source of income.
