Farmers are facing difficulties as two cold stores constructed in the district have not come into operation. Although the centers, built in 2020 at a cost of Rs 150,00,000 by the provincial government, were brought into use a year ago, they are currently out of operation. As the cold stores in Pyuthan Municipality-4 and Mandavi Rural Municipality-3 remain non-operational, farmers have been paying high charges to store their produce in Lamahi, Dang. Lokraj Pokhrel, a farmer from Pyuthan Municipality-3, said they used to store potato seeds at Rs 2 per kilogram in Pyuthan, but now they are paying Rs 8 per kilogram in Lamahi.
Mayor Bishnu Yogi said the cold stores centers have not come into full operation due to problems caused by outdated and phased-out technology. He also mentioned that the high operating cost has made it difficult to run the centers efficiently. Likewise, Mandavi Rural Municipality Chairperson Namaraj Adhikari said the centers have faced challenges in its operation due to weak technology and a lack of human resources. Farmers in the district have been demanding a solution to preserve the quality of their produce for a longer period. However, they are worried as the centers have not been operating properly.