Farmers in Myagdi district have earned significant income this year due to a rise in orange production. According to Sanjeev Bastola, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, oranges worth Rs 334.6 million have been sold in the district, based on data from the orange pocket area.
Bastola explained that the office conducted a study on orange production using the crop-cutting method. This year, a total of 4,781 metric tons of oranges were produced across all six local levels of the district. In comparison, last year’s production was 3,600 metric tons, generating Rs 240 million from orange sales.
The district has 820 hectares of land dedicated to orange farming, with 425 hectares currently bearing fruit. The center reported that over Rs 60 million worth of oranges were sold from wards 3 and 4 of Beni Municipality alone. Oranges have been sold from most parts of the district, and orange picking is currently underway in areas such as Marek in Beni Municipality and Dosalle in Annapurna Rural Municipality.
Traders have been purchasing oranges directly from farmers’ gardens at prices ranging from Rs 60 to 120 per kilogram. Prem Paija, president of the Dosalle Commercial Orange Farmers’ Group, shared that the village’s oranges are being sold in large quantities, and farmers are excited about the increased production. Oranges from the district have been exported to several markets, including the district headquarters Beni, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, and Narayangadh.
