The production of Mude’s famed organic potatoes has doubled this year due to timely rainfall and an increase in the number of growers. The carbohydrate-rich vegetable is sold under the brand name Mude’s Quality Potato. 

According to the District Agriculture Office, farmers in Mude in Sindhupalchok district grew 2,000 tonnes of potatoes this year. 

Potatoes grown in Mude are packaged in 5-kg, 10-kg and 30-kg plastic and jute bags emblazoned with the brand name Mude’s Quality Potato and are dispatched to major cities across the country.

Potato is the major crop grown in the region, and around 95 percent of the households here are engaged in commercial potato farming. Mude’s Quality Potato is cultivated on 8,000 hectares. 

Mude lies at an elevation of 2,286 metres above sea level, and the potatoes grown at this high altitude are prized for their taste. This has led to high demand for Mude’s potatoes all over Nepal. Three years ago, the District Agriculture Office in Sindhupalchok had granted the label to the district’s most famous product as part of its branding exercise. 

The Small Farmer Agricultural Cooperative is helping farmers of Mude to supply their products to the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in Kathmandu. Rojita, a type of potato produced in Mude, is considered to be very rare. Local farmers started producing this variety of potato after the Swiss government launched a scheme to distribute the seeds in the district. 

“We have been selling Mude’s potatoes for Rs40 to Rs60 per kg in Kathmandu,” said trader Makar Bahadur Tamang. Besides Kathmandu, Mude’s potatoes are sold in Barhabise, Lamosangu and Khadichour. 

“I have been earning Rs200,000 annually by growing potatoes,” said a local farmer Khadga Bahadur Shrestha. Shrestha produced 11 tonnes of potatoes this year.  “The income has also doubled from last year.” 

Another local farmer Birkha Bahadur Shrestha said that demand for Mude’s potato 

seeds had also been growing. 

He said that farmers from different districts were buying potato seeds despite their high price. “Due to growing demand, more farmers have become attracted to growing potatoes.”