Damak: Farmers in Jhapa have started collecting potato seeds from now on as potato seeds are not available and become expensive during plantation season.

Local agricultural cooperatives, agriculture groups and individuals have started storing potato seeds at Shree Shanti Cold Store in Damak.

Farmers will keep the potatoes in cold stores from mid-March to March end and take out them in September for plantation.

Normally, price of potatoes increases by four times in September compared to their price in March.

Santosh Adhikari, executive chief of the cold store, said that about 10,000 sacks of potatoes were brought to the cold store by the farmers so far.

Farmers from all local levels, including Damak Municipality, Gauradaha Municipality, Kamal Rural Municipality of Jhapa and from Morang, Sunsari and Ilam districts bring and keep the seed potatoes in the cold store.

"As far as possible, we have not returned the potatoes brought by the farmers to keep in this cold store," Adhikari said.

He said that they had given priority to potatoes brought by farmers for their own purpose than the trader’s potatoes.

“This time we have given priority to the potatoes brought by the farmers than those brought by traders,” he said.

Farmers will visit the cold store to collect the stored potatoes in September. The farmers pay Rs. 300 for keeping a sack (50 kg) of potatoes for six months.

The cold store has also stated that the monthly electricity bill of the cold store is Rs. 400,000 to Rs.500,000, and it is difficult to pay the electricity bill from the fee collected from the farmers.