Jumla farmers told not to pick, sell unripe apples

By Our Correspondent , Jumla, Aug. 8:The Agricultural Development Office of Jumla has launched an awareness programme at the local level to stop the export of unripe apples from the district. 

It has initiated the programme to educate and aware the farmers and other concerned stakeholders as unripe fruits started arriving in the market. 

Ganesh Adhikari, Acting Head of the office, said that in the third week of July, the heads of the agriculture departments of all the eight local levels of Jumla, large farmers and traders held a meeting for the marketing and export of apples. The meeting had decided not to pick apples until they ripe. 

“But since apples started appearing in the market, we have been giving awareness and guidance,” said Adhikari. The office has discussed the issue at the local level with a team including local administration, police and journalists to check picking of unripe apples.

According to him, since quality and freshness of apple could be maintained only when they are picked after they are ripened, the relevant municipality has been given the right to set the time for picking apples. Now, the apples in Jumla have just begun to get colour, and it is yet to get the final 20 per cent sweetness. 

But after seeing that the farmers were sending unripe apples to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu just to earn more money, the programme to raise awareness was launched.

The agricultural department of the concerned local bodies have been given the responsibility of fixing the date for apple picking, and they should manage it keeping in mind the financial condition of the farmers and the quality of apples. 

Meanwhile, Guthichour Rural Municipality of the district has decided to allow farmers to export apples only after August 17.

Similarly, the Agriculture Department of Patarasi Rural Municipality has decided to export apples after August 24. 

Hima Rural Municipality has set apple picking time for the upper mountains from August 17, and for lower mountains on August 21. 

The District Agricultural Development Office has requested all farmers not to harvest apples until August 26 and has also sent a letter to the police and agriculture department of the local bodies to prevent smuggling. 

Stakeholders are worried because they fear that apple farming in Jumla will be displaced and will be affected in the long term due to farmers and merchants who pick and sell apples before mid-August. According to the office, a comprehensive and strong mechanism should be created to prevent the practice of harvesting unripe apples.

Chairman of Tila Rural Municipality Motilal Rokaya said although the local government had notified not to harvest apples until the end of August, some farmers were not abiding by the advice. 

Farmers said that they worry about the market if they harvest late. Jumla has been exporting more than 6,000 tonnes of apples annually.