Nepal Lawmaker Demands Immediate Action to Protect Farmers from Monkeys

Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Sushil Kandel has raised concerns in parliament about the impact of monkeys on farmers’ crops, particularly in his constituency of Baglung.

Mr Kandel said that while visiting his constituency, he saw thousands of orange trees laden with fruit, but farmers were worried that the monkeys would destroy the crops before they could be harvested.

He added that some farmers had even stopped planting new saplings due to the problem. Mr Kandel urged the government to take immediate action to address the issue, suggesting that a small portion of the revenue generated from the sale of oranges could be used to employ at least 10 monkey handlers in each affected area.

Last year, the sale of oranges in Baglung, Myagdi, and Parvat generated over 100 crore rupees, and Mr Kandel emphasized the need for the government to play a role in protecting the crops.

He proposed a model where at least 10 monkey handlers would be employed in each affected area, which could create over 500,000 new green jobs across the country and generate an economic benefit of over 100 billion rupees.

Mr Kandel also suggested the use of technology such as sensor drones and alarms to address the problem, but emphasized that farmers needed immediate relief.

Call for Professional Monkey Handlers

He urged the government to launch a professional monkey handling and control program in the affected areas, recognize the profession, and introduce a bill to make the program sustainable.