Bajura farmers worried about market for apples

By Our Correspondent,Bajura, Aug. 5: Apples started ripening in Bajura from July last week, now the farmers here are worried about where to take them to sell.

In the meantime, the road from Martadi to Kolti in Bajura has been blocked since mid-July this year.

Even though apples have started ripening in the garden, the farmers of Himali, Swamikartik, Jagannath and Budhinanda rural municipalities in the north-eastern part of the district are worried about how to bring the apples to the market due to the blocked roads.

“Apples are ripe in the field. There is no market nearby to sell. It is not possible to take apples far as Martadi-Kolti road section is blocked. There is a lot of concern about where to take apples and sell,” said Dhan Bahadur Rawal, a farmer of Swamikartik Rural Municipality-1.

He said, after the Agriculture Knowledge Centre gave subsidy for transportation, it was becoming easier to bring apples to the market by mules. 

Rawal said that as transportation subsidy was not given this year, there has been a problem in selling apples by taking them to the market.

Apple production has started to improve recently in Himali, Swamikartik, Jagannath, Budhinanda, Gaumul and Khaptad Chhededaha rural municipalities in Bajura.

Earlier, apples were produced in the places like Himali, Swamikartik, Jagannath, Budhinanda, but now apples are also produced in Badimalika, Gaumul and Khaptad Chhededaha.

As the road is always closed during apple ripening time in Bajura, the farmers here have to suffer for selling apples every year.

Farmers here have been worried lately because the organic apples produced in the garden do not reach the market on time.

In Bajura, about 1,000 tonnes of apples are produced in an area of ​​370 hectares.

The Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Bajura said that the transportation subsidy cannot be arranged for the apple farmers here this time due to the lack of budget this year.