Apple worth Rs. 330m sent from Jumla

By Naurate Nepali,Sinja (Jumla), Oct. 15: This year, apples worth approximately Rs. 330750,000 have been sent from Jumla to various districts for sale. 

The apples, produced by local farmers, have already been sold to different districts. The farmers of the district have cultivated varieties such as Gala, King Red, and Fuji.

Around 4,725 metric tons of apples have been sent from Jumla to other districts for sale.

 According to the statistics from the Agriculture Development Office of Jumla, this quantity of apples has been sent from the district between the months of Shrawan and Ashad in the current fiscal year. The export of apples from rural areas and Fuji apples for sale is still ongoing.

By the second week of Mangsir, the exact quantity and sales data of the apples will be determined, said Ram Bhakta Adhikari, the head of the Agriculture Development Office of Jumla. 

It is anticipated that there will be a slight decrease in apple production this year compared to last year. 

According to the office chief, apples worth Rs. 330 million rupees have been sent to other districts for sale.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in apple farming among the farmers. Of the 24,838 households in all eight local municipalities of the district, 19,258 households, or 70.5 per cent of families, are involved in apple farming. Farmers from Tila Rural Municipality started selling apples in the first week of Bhadra, as informed by local apple trader Padam Rawat.

Most farmers in the area have apple orchards. Each family earns between Rs.45,000 to Rs.100, 000 from the sale of apples each season.

 Rawat, an apple trader from Tila Rural Municipality-1, Rara, mentioned that the apples are sold at a price of Rs. 75 or more per kilogram directly from the orchard. 

According to the statistics from the Agriculture Development Office, it is estimated that Jumla will produce 13,000 metric tons of apples this year, which is the lowest in the last two years.

Of the total produced, 70,000 metric tons of apples have already been sold.

Jumla has a total of 39,435 hectares of cultivable land, of which the area dedicated to apple farming has increased from 4,325 hectares in the fiscal year 2024/25 to 4,445 hectares in the current fiscal year. However, apples have been produced only on 2,125 hectares.

The varieties of apples currently produced in the district include Red Delicious, Royal Delicious, Golden Delicious, Richared, and Janadhan. 

Among the advanced varieties, Fuji, Gala, and Italian apples are also being cultivated. 

Jumla’s apples are considered the main cash crop of the Karnali Province. 

Every year, apples from this region are supplied to cities such as Surkhet, Nepalganj, Dang, and Kathmandu.