Panchkhal hosts agricultural fair, attracts 20,000 visitors to promote innovation

Panchkhal Municipality in Kavrepalanchok has organized a two-day agricultural fair to promote agricultural products, aligning with its slogan of becoming an ‘Agricultural City’. The fair, held in collaboration with Love Green Nepal, reportedly attracted around 20,000 visitors.

The municipality coordinated with Love Green to encourage innovation in agriculture through the fair. It featured exhibitions and sales of agricultural products produced using IPM technology, crop camps, and competitive programs related to agricultural products. Mayor Mahesh Kharel inaugurated the fair on Friday.

On this occasion, Mayor Kharel argued that Panchkhal is an agricultural city with minimal pesticide use in its vegetables. He stated, “Despite rumors of excessive pesticide use in Panchkhal’s vegetables, they have been semi-organic for a few years now. We are emphasizing organic farming to dispel these misconceptions.”

He mentioned that over 1,200 farmers in Panchkhal have been trained in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for vegetable farming in partnership with Love Green Nepal, leading to more organic produce.

Farmers are being encouraged to start a weekly agricultural market in Panchkhal. “The municipality is ready to address the demands of the farmers,” Mayor Kharel said.

Love Green Nepal has been providing IPM-related training to farmers for the past nine years. According to the organization’s Executive Director Narayan Gyawali, these trainings have played a significant role in promoting healthy and safe agricultural production, protecting human health, increasing production, and enhancing farmers’ incomes.

The agricultural fair included crop camps, exhibitions and sales of indigenous products, competitive programs for agricultural products, direct interactions with farmers and farmer groups, and displays and sales of IPM-produced agricultural products, along with dishes made from potatoes and other produce from Panchkhal.