From laborer to employer: Jayaprakash’s remarkable rise as a commercial farmer

Kanchanpur: Once a daily wage laborer working in others’ fields, Jayaprakash Rana of Bedkot Municipality-1, Champapur, has now become a successful commercial farmer who provides employment to dozens of people on his own land.

Engaged in vegetable farming for the past two decades, Rana now earns more than Rs 1.5 million annually by producing and selling vegetables as well as vegetable seedlings from his nursery. Through hard work, skill, and determination, he has not only transformed his own life but also inspired many others in his village to take up commercial vegetable farming.

Rana has turned vegetable farming into his main occupation. His lush green tunnels and modern nursery have attracted attention from both local and distant farmers. His day begins before sunrise with the care of vegetable seedlings. Every day, farmers flock to his nursery, located beside the highway, to buy improved seedlings. Due to the quality of his seeds, even farmers from distant villages and towns come to purchase from him.

On his farm, Rana grows cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli, radish, chickpeas, capsicum, onion, and other vegetables. He also cultivates coriander, gourd, bitter gourd, pumpkin, and cucumber commercially. Involved in agriculture since 2058 BS, Rana recalls how he once worked as a laborer in others’ fields, preparing soil, sowing seeds, applying fertilizers and pesticides, and tending crops. “That’s when I learned the techniques of farming and gathered the courage to start on my own,” he said.

Remembering the early days when he began a small nursery near the highway with minimal capital but great enthusiasm, Rana said, “Although production was low in the first year, I earned more than expected after selling all the plants. That income boosted my confidence. I then expanded into vegetable seedling production and vegetable farming. My income grew, and I no longer needed to depend on others.”

Rana now leases one bigha for the nursery and four bighas for vegetable farming. He earns around Rs 500,000 annually from the nursery and about Rs 1 million from vegetable production. “Earlier, I used to earn Rs 3,000 a month, but now I earn lakhs from farming,” he said with a smile. With the use of high-quality seeds, tunnel farming, and electric irrigation, his vegetables are of premium quality and fetch good prices in the market. He even owns an auto-rickshaw to transport his produce. “I used to sell vegetables by bicycle, then by motorcycle, and now I deliver them by auto,” he shared proudly.

“Farming done the right way can transform your life,” Rana said. Vegetable farming has significantly improved his living standards. From living in a mud-tiled house, he now resides with his family in a four-room concrete home. He has also purchased two motorcycles with his earnings. Farmers from Daiji, Sisaiya, Mahendranagar, and Jhalari now buy seedlings from his nursery. “Since the seedlings are produced from quality seeds, there’s no problem finding a market,” he said. “Farmers themselves come, pay in cash, and take the seedlings.”

Rana’s entire family contributes to the business. His wife and son help in the nursery and farming work. “When the family works together, costs go down and income goes up,” he said. To further modernize his farming, he has participated in various training programs organized by the Agricultural Knowledge Center and Bedkot Municipality. “I learned about seed selection, soil management, pest control, and modern techniques. The training changed my perspective, and now I can teach other farmers too,” he added.

Recognizing his dedication, the Agricultural Knowledge Center and the municipality have provided grants for agricultural tools and equipment. Rana now plans to expand his farming operations and encourages young people to take up agriculture. “If the youth choose farming over foreign employment, the country can become self-reliant,” he said. “I started as a laborer, and today, I am a farmer who creates employment for others.”