Even apples which are not ‘organic certified’ sells at Rs 180 per kg in Kathmandu and other major cities. Every year, nearly Rs 90 million worth of apples are produced but only apples that fetch 1-2% of the estimated worth reach the market.[break]
Kamlesh Tiwari, District Agriculture Officer of Jumla, says, “We only have enough funds to transport about 100 tons of apples.”
The roads from Surkhet to Jumla are not pitched and are obstructed during the rainy months and so apples sometimes get damaged while being transported. These apples will perish in a time. Since all farmers don’t have access to good packaging and can’t afford air fares to supply the apples to other cities, much of the fruit just rots away before even plucked from the trees.
Ram Krishna Thapa, Chairman of District Cooperative Association which started marketing apples from last year, feels that the government should take the responsibility of transporting the apples from the production sites to the market. He laments that the government does not maintain good roads, nor does it provide funds to transport more than 100 tons of apple because of which the rest just rots away in the trees.
“There should either be good and accessible roads or the government should sanction more funds to transport the harvested apples,” he says. “Just by sanctioning more money for transporting the apples, the district can do good business that’ll be beneficial in the development of the region.”
Six villages of Jumla produce ‘organic certified’ apples and this year alone apple orchards have spanned over 500 hectares. About 8% of the apples consumed in the nation are harvested in Jumla.
Gobind Shahi, Chairman of Jumla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, mentions that only when all the farmers and businessman receive subsidy can widespread marketing of the apples be possible.
Shahi believes that because there is no proper transportation facility, neither can local businessmen take the apples out of the district nor do businessmen from other districts come to fetch them, which is why the apples are going to waste.
Tiwari mentions that if the roads were better, then good-quality apples could be transported at much cheaper costs. But there is no provision for transporting apples by road as, according to the Karnali Agriculture Development Project’s apple transportation subsidy directive, subsidy is given only for transportation by air.
Balram Devkota, assistant technician of the planning section at the District Agriculture Office, shares his views that the government should also increase subsidy for packaging materials.
The weather and geographical structure of Jumla are considered ideal for good quality apple production.
Bishnu Mahat, information officer at the Agriculture Office, mentions that all the 30 villages of Jumla have a temperature of 22 to 30 degree Centigrade which is ideal for apple production.
As of now, the production availability of apple per person nationwide is 1.33 kg while in Karnali it is 37 kg per person.
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