Need to take precedence for off seasonal vegetable farming? Issues in context of Nepal

Abstract

Vegetable farming beyond the regular cropping calendar when supply is low and prices are high increases consumers range of choices and enhance profit. Nepal offers favourable potential for off-season vegetable production. However, inadequate approach to market and seasonal fluctuation of available vegetable creates difficulties in commercialization of off-season production. The current paper describes about what opportunities and importance do off-season farming has in Nepal and the constraints it has to encounter with. The cheap availability of labour, increasing interest of the government, and climatic suitability provide an opportunity for the farmers to make profitable income due to high prices during the off-season period which reduces the risk of failure of the farm, marketing risk, and maintains market equilibrium. Nevertheless, this cultivation system faces challenges of high post-harvest loss, poor implementation of policies, hijacked subsidies, inadequate irrigation facilities, and high pest infestation on-farm side and scarcity of cold storage, high transact cost, unmanaged collection, and market centers on the market side. Commercialization of off-Season vegetable production can create a better environment for income improvement and maintain market equilibrium.

Keywords

• vegetables
• subsidy
• pocket areas
• climatic suitability
• marketing