Surkhet/kalikot, March 13 -- Until five years ago, Sita Rokaya of ward 7 in Simkot Rural Municipality, Humla district, had no choice but to buy vegetables from Nepalgunj and Surkhet at exorbitant prices due to high transport costs. With flights irregular and cargo limits imposed by airlines, fresh vegetables were often unavailable or very expensive.

Rokaya, who runs a hotel in Simkot Bazar, cooks fresh vegetables like spinach, cauliflower, peas, radish and tomato produced in Humla. Thanks to local vegetable production, her hotel now serves fresh and organic produce, enhancing both taste and affordability.

"There are still no regular flights to the district. Even if there were, we had to pay around Rs120 in fare for the vegetable that co...