सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Gandaki. Oranges worth Rs 4.17 billion have been produced in Gandaki Province this year. According to the preliminary data of the Directorate of Agricultural Development, 66,578 metric tons of oranges have been produced.
Manoj Poudel, an agricultural economist at the Directorate, informed that oranges have been produced on 5,703 hectares in nine districts of the province.
‘Based on the average price per kilogram of orange received by farmers, oranges worth more than four billion have been produced this year,’ he said. ‘The highest amount of oranges worth one billion 716.39 million rupees have been produced in Syangja.’ According to agricultural economist Poudel, 642 million in Tanahun, 402 million in Gorkha, 383.6 million in Parbat, 342 million in Myagdi, 264.6 million in Baglung, and 259 million in Kaski. Lakh, Nawalpur 133.9 million and Lamjung 30 million oranges were produced.
This year, oranges were produced in an area of 1950 hectares in Syangja, 968 hectares in Tanahun, 746 hectares in Gorkha, 465 hectares in Parbat, 425 hectares in Myagdi, 377 hectares in Baglung, 541 hectares in Kaski, 161 hectares and 80 hectares in Lamjung. The directorate has stated that orange production has increased by 11 percent this year. Two years ago, 50,850 metric tons of oranges were produced, while this year, 66,578 metric tons of oranges were produced.
The area under orange cultivation is also expanding every year. Syangja, which is the largest orange producer in the country, accounts for a large share of the annual production. In Gandaki, Mustang and Manang districts do not have orange cultivation. Agricultural economist Poudel informed that the total price of the product has been determined based on the average price of 67 per kilogram of oranges received by farmers. Although the price is somewhat low at first, farmers who keep the plants and humidity centers and sell them later increase the price of oranges.
The average price of oranges also varies from district to district. The directorate has stated that there is no accounting for the sale price received from the farmers’ gardens after they reach the market. The production of the entire province has been made public by analyzing the reports and data sent by the districts. The directorate has stated that orange production has been increasing every year due to reasons such as new plants starting to bear fruit, expansion of production area, and proper management of gardens.
A total of 8,516 hectares are occupied by orange cultivation in nine districts of the province, excluding Mustang and Manang. Orange farmers have been facing problems such as pest infestation, lack of grafted plants, garden management, picking oranges, safe storage and transportation, and lack of markets. Diseases that cause plants to wither and die, and the aunshe insect have also caused damage to orange cultivation.
Orange ‘Super Zone’, ‘Zone’, ‘Pocket’ and ‘Block’ programs are being implemented to expand and commercialize orange cultivation. Orange ‘Zone’ has been formed by encompassing some local levels of Baglung, Parbat and Myagdi. The ‘Orange Zone’ includes villages such as Bihun, Sigana in Baglung, Bansakharka in Parbat, Salija, Lekhphant and Baskuna in Myagdi. The orange ‘Super Zone’ program is being implemented in Syangja. Initially, the program was only implemented in limited wards of some local levels, but was later expanded throughout the district.
Villages such as Karendanda, Jaisidanda, Rankhola, Arjunchaupari in Syangja are known for orange cultivation. Orange production is also good in Myagde Rural Municipality of Tanahun and Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorkha. The oranges produced here are mostly consumed in urban areas within the province, including Pokhara. Traders also take them to places such as Narayangadh and Kathmandu for sale. According to Mekh Bahadur Khatri, a leading orange farmer of Bansakharka, Jaljala Rural Municipality-1, Parbat, this year, oranges worth 184.447 million were produced in Bansakharka alone.
Out of 1,500 ropanis of land under orange cultivation, there are 26,700 fruit-bearing trees and 24,445 are growing trees, he said. Out of a total of 51,151 trees, it is estimated that production will double to nearly 400 million in a few years if all the trees bear fruit. Leading farmer Jat Bahadur Khatri’s orchard produces oranges worth Rs. 3.5 million per year. He has been cultivating oranges on 25 ropanis of land.
Lead farmer Shanta Bahadur Chhintel has been producing oranges worth Rs 2.3 million and Hem Bahadur Armaja has been producing oranges worth Rs 1.9 million annually. Tej Bahadur Khatri and Nar Bahadur Paija have been running orange nurseries.
‘Commercial orange cultivation has changed the living standards of farmers in Bansakharka. There are farmers here who earn Rs 500,000 to Rs 400,000 a year by selling oranges,’ said lead farmer Mekh Bahadur Khatri. He said that oranges from Bansakharka are exported to Pokhara, Muglin, Narayangan, Kathmandu and other places.
According to him, except for Malgaun in Jaljala-1 and some places in Ghumaune Tal, orange cultivation has been taking place in most areas of Bansakharka. He said that around 1997/98 BS, some orange trees were seen in Bazarare and Birmare in Bansakharka and since then, orange cultivation has been expanding over time. Village leaders say that orange farming began in Bansakharka after the Agricultural Development Bank started providing loans to orange farmers in 2028 BS.
Farmers in Bansakharka started commercial orange farming in 2052/53 BS after road access to Pokhara was expanded. Most of the farmers in Bansakharka, which has 239 ghurdhuri, are involved in orange farming. Farmers have stopped seeing alternatives to orange farming.
Gandaki Province Government’s Minister for Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, Padyama GC Shrestha, said that the province government has been supporting the expansion of orange pocket areas. “The government has come up with a plan to provide up to 50 percent subsidy for skill and technology transfer to orange farmers,” he said.
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