न्यूज अभियान
हरेक खबर विशेष खबर

Bajhang, Oct 14: Many people in the hilly districts have abandoned farming due to a lack of roads, market access, irrigation facilities, and modern technology. However, Maya Japrel of Sain, Durgathali Rural Municipality-5, has turned these very challenges into opportunities, emerging as an inspiration in the agricultural sector.
Forty-five-year-old Japrel has transformed her passion for the land into a business, earning an annual income of over Rs 800,000. She is now funding her son's medical education. 
Maya says she turned to agriculture as a primary source of income. In the past, there were no road facilities to transport produce from Durgathali to the district headquarters, Chainpur. As a result, she used to carry her produce on her back and walk for hours to reach the local market. "It used to be very difficult when there were no roads. Now that the road has reached us, selling our produce has become much easier." 
Maya’s vegetable farming yields produce year-round. She cultivates a variety of seasonal and off-season vegetables including cabbage, tomatoes, and cauliflower and notes that she earns a particularly good income from tomatoes and cabbage. 
Additionally, Maya also heads the Saraswati Farmers' Group with all members actively engaged in vegetable production. Maya, however, has consistently achieved higher yields than other members, earning her agricultural awards from various quarters.
Between the months of Jestha and Shrawan this year alone, Maya dispatched nine vehicle-loads of produce to the district headquarters, Chainpur. Her farm produces a minimum of 70 quintals of vegetables annually. During the peak seasons for tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage, her produce supplies not only local markets but also more distant ones, such as Jhota, Tamail, Bagathala, Deura, and Bitthad.
Funded entirely by the income from her vegetable farming, her son, Gajendra Japrel, is currently pursuing an MBBS degree in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, her two daughters are in Kathmandu, preparing for the Public Service Commission examinations. 
She is investing all the profits from her produce into her children's education. “My children are my true wealth,” Maya said. “I didn't have the means to educate my son on just my husband's earnings. Later, my son began working hard from a young age, and I, too, expanded my vegetable farming. Now, I don't have to ask anyone for help to fund my children's education.”
Alongside commercial vegetable farming, Maya has also prioritized the conservation of indigenous crops. With technical support from agencies such as the Agriculture Knowledge Center and the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, she is expanding the cultivation of local crops like finger millet (kodo), foxtail millet (kaguno), and indigenous rice varieties such as parapulo.
Maya’s persistent hard work and success have garnered attention even outside the district. A team from Sundarpur, Kanchanpur, visited her farm and provided various agricultural supplies. She noted that government agencies also provide support due to her continued active engagement.
Maya Japrel has become an example of how women in hilly districts can transform their family's economic status through agriculture. Her struggle has demonstrated that when hard work is combined with access to roads, markets, and opportunities, even the soil of the hills can generate an income of hundreds of thousands of rupees.