Climate Change: Apple farming climbs to upper Mustang

By Hari Krishna Sharma, Mustang, June 8: Commercial apple farming has climbed to upper Mustang as the highland fruit has started flourishing in the high altitude area due to climate change.

Situated at about 4 thousand meters above the sea level, Charang has seen an expansion of apple orchard as farmers have started growing apples instead of other crops.

A local of Charang, Tai Dhuntu Thakuri, who is also Ward Chair of Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-1, has expanded his orchard to 23 ropanis of land, leasing others' land as well.

This year, he has planted 300 saplings of high density hybrid apple. Thakuri's orchard has about a thousand apple trees which also include local variety.

Another local of Charang, Chhewang Bist has about four thousand apple trees in 50 ropani of land. Ward Chair Thakuri said out of 105 households in Charang, 30 are involved in apple farming.

Those who used to grow crops are now attracted to apple farming and apple orchard has been expanding annually, he said.

As people's representative, Thakuri has also been encouraging locals for training and grants so that they are attracted to apple farming.

There are about 13,000 apple trees in Charang alone. Fields in the area are filled with trees of high density royal, red richa red, golden and fuji apples.

Lopsang Chompel Bist, Chairperson of the Loghekar Damodarkund Rural Municipality, said that the local government was providing the farmers with sapling, agricultural tools and instruments as grants because apple has climbed to upper Mustang with rise in temperature due to climate change.

"We have assisted the farmer prioritizing apples as it has started to flourish here in upper Mustang. In the past, it would grow well only in the lower Mustang," he said.

At Ghami village of ward 2 of the same rural municipality, local have planted apples in about 950 ropani of land. At Dheya village of the same ward, 26 households have planted apples in 1200 ropani of land.

Prakash Pant, chief of temperate horticulture development center, Marpha, said that the center has established a satellite agriculture farm at Ghami village, to facilitate farmer for apple growing of areas including Lomanthang Rural Municipality.

Meanwhile, due to low level of snowing in the lower Mustang, apple production has declined in the area.