Handigaun, a historical town, is famous for two

By Chitra Kumar Mijar,Sindhupalchowk, Nov. 10: After decades of decline, Helambu in Sindhupalchowk is once again blossoming into the 'town of apples,' as around 60 households in Helambu Rural Municipality have started earning income from commercial apple farming.

With improved apple varieties producing high-quality fruit, local farmers are increasingly turning toward apple cultivation. Apple seedlings imported from India’s Himachal Pradesh have now begun to bear fruit, restoring Helambu’s long-lost identity.

Helambu was once famous for its apples nearly four decades ago. However, after a disease outbreak in 1985 devastated orchards, farmers cut down the trees for firewood, bringing the region’s apple era to an end. 

Now, with renewed effort and modern techniques, apple trees are flourishing again in Helambu.

Various apple varieties—including Fuji and Gala—are being cultivated, with more than a hundred types reportedly thriving in the area.  Farmers are getting excited after the apples started to grow. Some farmers have earned a lot of income by selling thousands of kilograms of apples.

After the apples started to grow in Helambu, a tourist village inhabited by the Hyolmo tribe, tourists have also started to be attracted to eat see and eat apples in Helambu. 

Helambu itself is a monastery, a high-class, religious tourist town. That is why domestic and foreign tourists continue to come and go to Helambu daily. Recently, tourists have also been attracted to Helambu because of apples.

“We have been able to produce and sell over 1,500 kilograms of apples commercially,” said Birjit Tamang of Helambu Rural Municipality–5, noting that the revival has generated enthusiasm among local farmers.

After apples started growing again in Helambu, it has attracted young people who are going to work abroad and are being displaced elsewhere to cultivate apples in their own villages.  Helambu farmers had planted saplings for apple cultivation a decade ago. Now, the same saplings have started bearing fruits worth millions.

According to Chairman of Helambu Rural Municipality, Nima Gyaljen Sherpa, the local government has prepared a strategy to make Helambu a hub for commercial apple cultivation. 

“Commercial apple farming will uplift the economic condition of the local residents,” he said, adding that the rural municipality plans to introduce programmes for apple insurance and technical support to enhance productivity.

According to Sherpa, the rural municipality aims to make Helambu residents self-reliant through apple cultivation from next year through apple.