Around 200 ropanis of fertile agricultural land in Yamkha of Khotang have been abandoned and gradually transformed into grazing land and forest due to outmigration and the increasing menace of monkeys.
The affected land lies in the Bhasme and Chiuri Bhir areas of Ratmate in Yamkha, Ward No. 1 of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality. Once capable of producing up to three crops a year, the fertile fields have remained uncultivated for years.
According to local resident Dar Kumar Rai, farmland in Bhasme and Chiuri Bhir has been lying fallow for nearly 15 years as landowners migrated elsewhere. More than 200 ropanis of paddy fields have since been abandoned and gradually turned into forest after their owners left the village.
In contrast, farmers in nearby Ratmate continue to cultivate maize, wheat and two annual paddy crops on similarly fertile land. However, the fields in Bhasme and Chiuri Bhir have largely been reduced to grazing land and woodland.
Parbat Rai said that paddy had been cultivated in fields capable of producing around 20 muris of rice until a few years ago. However, as the surrounding area became overgrown with bushes, increasing numbers of wild monkeys began destroying crops, forcing farmers to abandon cultivation. “The paddy yield was good and irrigation facilities were adequate,” Rai said. “But we could no longer protect the crops from monkeys, so we had no choice but to leave the fields uncultivated. The land is now mainly used for grazing cattle and goats.”
The Warlang Khola Tintale Chiuri Bhir Irrigation Project passes through the abandoned farmland, and its water continues to irrigate fields in Ratmate. In the current fiscal year 2025/26, the Irrigation Development Division Office in Khotang allocated a budget to further improve the irrigation system. Despite the availability of irrigation, more than 200 ropanis of farmland in Chiuri Bhir and Bhasme remain uncultivated.
Residents who continue to live in the village still farm the land surrounding their homes. According to locals, most of the abandoned fields belong to families who have migrated away, while some villagers have also stopped farming because of persistent crop damage caused by monkeys.
Ranjit Rai, another local resident, said most of the owners of the land that has now reverted to forest have permanently left the village.
“Some found government jobs, some joined the British or Indian Army, while others went abroad to earn a living,” he said. “As people moved to towns and cities, their farmland was left abandoned. Those of us who still live here continue farming our land, but even we have had to give up cultivating some plots because of the monkey problem.”
