Farmers in flood-hit northern Rasuwa are getting help to get their produce to market after floods cut off road access, putting much of their harvest at risk of going to waste.
A helicopter delivering relief supplies to the district is carrying vegetables on its return trips. Under a pilot programme, the World Food Programme (WFP) has helped transport around 8,000 kilogrammes of fresh vegetables from Gre in Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality to Bidur in neighbouring Nuwakot district. Local officials say the helicopter has made around four trips carrying produce.
The initiative comes as farmers in four wards of Aamachhodingmo struggle to reach markets after the Bhotekoshi floods on August 26 washed away roads and bridges. An estimated Rs80 million worth of vegetables was at risk of rotting in the fields, as previously reported by Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post.
The WFP said it carried out the pilot operation on October 9 in coordination with local authorities and farmers’ cooperatives.
For farmers, even a small shipment offers a chance to recover some of their costs.
Lakpa Kami Tamang, ward chair of Aamachhodingmo-3, said the programme had provided a much-needed boost by arranging to transport sacks of cabbage and potatoes from participating farmers.
“Our vegetables were on the verge of rotting. The World Food Programme has given us some hope by helping get at least a portion of our produce to market,” he said. “Even this small amount has helped farmers earn some income.”
Riaz Lodhi, WFP Nepal director, said the programme was designed to address the economic consequences of the disaster by reconnecting isolated farmers with buyers.
“Floods have cut farming communities in Rasuwa off from essential markets, putting agricultural production, household incomes and local food security at risk,” Lodhi said. “Through this pilot, we have worked with local authorities and farmers’ cooperatives to transport around 8,000 kilogrammes of fresh vegetables to markets in Bidur.”
He said the agency was working to reduce crop losses, protect livelihoods and restore local food systems. The first consignments of potatoes and cabbage from Aamachhodingmo have already reached markets in Nuwakot.
The WFP teams also established operational procedures, clarified responsibilities and provided remote training to local personnel on handling vegetables safely and loading them onto helicopters.
The arrangement makes use of flights that would otherwise return without cargo after delivering relief supplies to northern Rasuwa. By carrying vegetables on those return journeys, the programme provides farmers with an alternative route to market while road connections remain disrupted.
“In an emergency, food security is not just about delivering food to people in need,” Lodhi said. “It also means ensuring that farmers can grow and sell their produce, earn an income and keep local markets functioning after a disaster.”
However, the pilot has yet to reach all farmers struggling to sell their harvest.
Chhiring Sangmo Tamang, a farmer from Gatlang in Aamachhodingmo-3, said she had heard about the helicopter deliveries but still had vegetables worth around Rs3 million waiting for buyers.
“There are so many vegetables in the village. Can they be flown to Bidur by helicopter? Farmers cannot afford the cost of hiring helicopters themselves. We can sell our produce only if someone helps us,” she said. “If the roads and bridges are rebuilt, we can sell our vegetables ourselves.”
Chhiring’s predicament reflects the scale of the disruption across the farming communities. She sold vegetables worth Rs1.2 million last year, while farmers across wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Aamachhodingmo sent an estimated Rs30 million to Rs40 million worth of produce to market. This year, they had planned to sell around Rs60 million worth after the rural municipality distributed Rs1 million worth of seeds to encourage cultivation. Vegetables grown in the area’s cool climate tend to fetch good prices, raising farmers’ expectations for the season.
Buchung Tamang, chair of Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality, said discussions were continuing with WFP representatives on how to transport more produce and ensure farmers earned at least some income from their harvest.
“There is a large volume of vegetables in the village. We are talking with WFP about transporting them to market,” he said. “The programme has made around four helicopter trips carrying vegetables from Gre. The main concern now is how to get the remaining produce to buyers.”
He said restoring road access remained essential to a lasting recovery. Residents have been using tuins, temporary cable crossings, at Syaphrubesi to get across the affected area. Farmers will not be able to transport vegetables by road until a Bailey bridge is restored at Syaphrubesi.
The WFP's initiative offers a temporary route to market, but the amount of produce it can carry remains limited compared with the harvest awaiting buyers. For farmers, the immediate priority is to move vegetables before they spoil; in the longer term, rebuilding roads and bridges is necessary to restore regular access to markets.