Domestic apples displace Indian apples in Nepalgunj

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, Aug. 26: In Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, apples imported from India have now been replaced by apples from Karnali.

Earlier, apples from China and India were consumed more in Nepalgunj and Kohalpur.

After organic apples produced in Jumla, Kalikot, Humla and Mugu of Karnali Province started entering the local market, apples imported from India have recently disappeared.

Karnali apples are now being sold everywhere in Nepalgunj and Kohalpur markets in Banke, which were dominated by apples imported from India and China until a few days ago.

Local fruit trader Ramzan Kabadiya said that after cheap and quality Nepali apples came to the market in place of expensive apples imported from India, the Nepali apples are now being sold everywhere.

He said that while Indian apples were being sold at Rs. 250 per kg, Karnali organic apples were available in Banke for Rs. 150 per kg. Due to this, sale of Indian apples has stopped in the market, he said.

K.P. Adhikari, a wholesaler of apples in Kohalpur, said that apples have started arriving in large quantities from Jumla and Kalikot in Karnali.

According to him, the demand for apple produced in Karnali is high as Indian apples are expensive and not that tasty.

He said that about three to five tonnes of apples supplied from Karnali are being sold daily at the Agricultural Produce Centre in Kohalpur, Banke. 

Another fruit wholesaler in Nepalgunj Shamsher Miya said that he has stopped importing other apples as the demand for Karnali apples is high everywhere in the market.

He said that more than five tonnes of apples are currently being sold daily in the Nepalgunj fruit wholesale market and that Karnali apples have also started to export across the border to India. 

Some retail traders in Rupaidiha are selling Karnali apples in the Indian border area.

As the demand for Karnali apples is increasing in this area, a large quantity of apples is being stored at the Bheri Cold Storage Cooperative in Kohalpur, according to the Bheri Cold Storage.