Rukum West farmers sell oranges worth Rs. 29.68 million

By Raju Lamichhane,Rukum West, Jan. 18: Farmers of Rukum West have sold oranges worth about Rs. 29.68 million this season. By mid-January, around 4,950 quintals of oranges were sold across all six local municipalities in the district.

According to the Agriculture Development Office (ADO), oranges were sold at prices ranging from Rs. 52-62 per kilo. Agriculture Officer, Mahesh Chand, said that farmers are increasingly turning to commercial cultivation as traders have started purchasing oranges directly from orchards.

The highest sales of oranges were recorded in Tribeni Rural Municipality where farmers sold the fruit produce worth Rs. 12.73 million. Chand said that over 100 farmers in Tribeni produced and sold 2,122 quintals of oranges. Similarly, farmers of Aathbiskot Municipality sold 1,025 quintals of oranges worth Rs. 6 million.

Likewise, according to ADO, 100 quintals of oranges were sold from Sanibheri Rural Municipality, 850 quintals from Musikot Municipality, 600 quintals from Bafikot Rural Municipality and 25 quintals from Chaurjahari Municipality. Meanwhile, farmers of Sanibheri and Chaurjahari are still selling their produce, and officials expect the figures to rise.

Chandra Bahadur Khadka, a farmer from Tribeni-4, reported better earnings from orange farming this year compared to last year. He earned Rs. 783,000 by selling 142 quintals of oranges directly from his farm at Rs. 62 per kg. He has also been cultivating cardamom alongside oranges. 

Chand said that oranges produced in Rukum West are supplied to local markets and cities including Nepalgunj, Butwal, Ghorahi and Pokhara. However, he informed a decline in production this year compared to the previous season. Last year, Tribeni alone accounted for orange sales worth Rs. 21.63 million.

Orange farming is being done on approximately 160 hectares of land in Rukum West.