Coffee farmers in Gorkha district have been dogged by lack of sufficient market for their product, reports RSS.

Farmers in Manakamana, Bakrang, Dhuwakot, Chyangli, Ghyalchowk and Deurali VDCs are anxious due to the weak market.

Mathura Shah, chairperson of Gorkha Coffee Cooperatives said they cannot sell the coffee when they want and even if buyers come they do not give reasonable price, according to RSS.

Farmers are anxious as no buyer has approached them even though have been waiting for the last six months after readying the coffee for sale. The coffee was processed last October.

Last year also, farmers had to sell produce through Lamjung Coffee Cooperative, said Shah. She complained, “We were promised Rs 175 per kg, but they gave only Rs 150 per kg in the end.” Commercial coffee cultivation started in the district five years ago at the initiative of Public Awareness and Development Centre (PADC).

Krishna Thapa, a farmer in Dhandbari of Manakamana-4, said, “PADC disappeared after teaching us the techniques for coffee cultivation. Now there is none to help us and coffee plants are frequently affected by diseases.”

When contacted, District Agriculture Development Office chief Dharma Datta Baral said it was out of their sphere of work, and added that the office was unable to provide any help. nepalnews.com Apr 12 09