The youth of Palpa Rampur Municipality have returned to sugarcane farming. Suraj Gautam, a young farmer from Ward No. 5 of Rampur Municipality, has cultivated sugarcane on 15 ropanis of land. Gautam, who grew up in the hilly and riverbank settlements, had seen sugarcane farming in the fields during his childhood. However, over the years, he noticed that sugarcane farming was gradually declining. Although sugarcane farming does not require much hardship, he wondered why people had abandoned it. This curiosity led him to study more about it, and eventually, he developed an interest in farming himself. He encouraged his neighbors, relatives, and friends to resume sugarcane farming, and some agreed. Six youths came together to form a multi-purpose farmers’ group, aiming to revive and sustain sugarcane farming.

Bishnu Prasad Gautam from Ward No. 5 of Rampur Municipality is also busy cutting, cleaning, crushing sugarcane in machines, and boiling it to make jaggery. His daily routine for the past three weeks has revolved around these tasks. “The last three weeks have been spent in the sugarcane fields and boiling jaggery,” he said. The months of Poush and Magh are dedicated to crushing sugarcane and making jaggery.
As the tradition of sugarcane farming was fading, the youth have started individual and collective sugarcane farming to meet the demand. Until 20 years ago, Rampur Municipality in Palpa was a prime area for sugarcane farming. However, the older generation gradually abandoned it, and the younger generation showed little interest. Gautam, a young farmer, explained that sugarcane farming was declining in the hilly and riverbank settlements. “We even studied why sugarcane farming was declining,” he said. “The older generation left farming due to migration and other reasons, while the younger generation did not want to endure the hardships of village life.”
Shambhu Aryal from Ward No. 9, Lamdikhola, mentioned that in the past, sugarcane farming covered at least 2,000 ropanis in areas like Ramppur, Gejha, and Gandkot. However, it has now reduced to just 50 ropanis. This decline has led to the import of jaggery, molasses, and sugarcane products worth over 20 million rupees into the Rampur area. Young farmer Santosh Paudel, motivated by the increasing demand for jaggery, molasses, and sugarcane products, has started expanding sugarcane farming. Through their multi-purpose farmers’ group, they have planted sugarcane on 35 ropanis this year and plan to expand it to 100 ropanis gradually.
Due to migration and the reluctance of people in the riverbank areas to endure hardships, most farmers in Rampur Municipality have abandoned sugarcane farming. Currently, only a few farmers in areas like Gejha, Jabgadi, Piluwa, Lamdikhola, Rampur, and Gandkot are engaged in sugarcane farming. In the past, this was a commercial farming activity. The jaggery and molasses produced here used to reach markets in Syangja, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Tanahun, Butwal, and Bhairahawa. Some farmers are still active to prevent sugarcane farming from disappearing. “There is no problem in selling organic jaggery,” said Champaa Gautam, a farmer from Rampur. “I have started wondering why we abandoned farming.”
During the months of Poush, Magh, and Falgun, farmers were busy crushing sugarcane, boiling jaggery, and making molasses. “The jaggery from some villages here had a distinct identity,” she said. “When people heard about Lamdikhola’s jaggery, they would rush to buy it. Traders would come to our homes to purchase it while it was still being boiled.”
Some youths who stayed in the village and others who returned from abroad have also started sugarcane farming again, seeing its potential. Young farmer Pitambar Gautam said, “In recent years, the fascination of youths with foreign employment led to the decline of sugarcane farming. But many have realized that earning abroad is not as easy as they thought, and some have decided to return and engage in farming.”
To promote sugarcane farming, farmers’ groups have been formed in Rampur. Some individuals have also started planting more sugarcane. With the operation of the Kali Gandaki Corridor Road connecting Siddhartha Highway and Mahendra Highway, transportation has become easier, boosting the morale of sugarcane farmers. They can now send jaggery produced in Rampur to nearby markets like Narayanghat, Butwal, and Pokhara. Rampur Municipality has provided equipment to support sugarcane farming. “Seeing the difficulties in crushing sugarcane with old machines, we have provided new machines,” said Mayor Raman Bahadur Thapa. “We believe that expanding sugarcane farming can establish Rampur’s identity.”
Rampur Municipality has also proposed interest subsidies on loans for groups and individuals engaged in sugarcane farming in various locations. Mayor Thapa shared that the municipality plans to connect sugarcane farming with new technology and make the Kali Gandaki riverbank area self-reliant in jaggery and sugarcane-based products.