Jhapa, April 3 -- Dipesh Dangal in Mechinagar municipality produces 300 crates (of 25 kg) of tomatoes weekly on a bigha and a half. He harvests twice a week.

Engaged in agriculture since the 1990s, his neighbours and others see him as a successful farmer. But he has several untold stories. Adding all costs, including labour and transportation, his margin on a kg of tomato stands at Rs5 per kg.

"What's the use of growing tomatoes? There is no market. No value," said Dangal. "This time, I won't even recover my investment."

He borrows money to pay workers to pick up and transport tomatoes. With hopes to secure his future in agriculture, he took a bank loan to start tomato farming.

Cultivating tomatoes on one-and-a-half bighas cost him ar...