Apple production declines in Dhorpatan area

GALKOT (BAGLUNG), Sept 24: Jumbahadur Budhathoki Magar, 73, from Nisikhola Rural Municipality-5 of Baglung district has an apple orchard with 200 trees of both local and Italian species. He had sold 15 quintals of apples last year, but the production slumped this time.

The apple production declined sharply because hail occurred last March and April. Now, the orchard wears a dreary look. Magar had been practicing traditional apple farming since 2048BS. He has the farm in 15 ropanis of land at Masgaon. Although the Italian species of apple which began giving fruits two years back gave good yield last year, it witnessed a slump this time.

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"I had planned to sell 20 to 25 quintals of apples this year, but in vain," he said, adding that hailstone damaged the orchard in the beginning of the flowering season. Even the farmers in the Niseldhor area are worried over the meager product. With this, some of them have shifted to potato farming. Magar had planted 200 saplings of Italian species of apple.

He explained, "After I became the chairman of Dhorpatan Apple Bloc, we began collective apple farming. I'm leading the apple farmers of Neseldhoka as well. The Italian species of apple gave a good harvest last year, but the hailstone damaged it during flowering this year."

Although the farmers here were not attracted to apple farming because of snow, and rains in the Dhorpatan area, the Agriculture Knowledge Centre encouraged them to opt for it after successful test production of Italian species of apples. Earlier, Dhorpatan valley, Sentung, Shyalpakhe, Niseldhor and Mas were conducting traditional farming, but at a minimum scale.

A farmer from Dhorpatan-9, Ram Bahadur Gharti, said that he also had a good harvest from 181 apple trees last year. But, the production declined this time.