Balbahadur Rai, a farmer from Lalikharka in Phidim Municipality–3, Panchthar, has been earning an impressive profit by storing kiwifruit in a natural cold store.
He says that once the harvest season ends, the kiwifruit stored in his natural cold store sells in the market at up to three times the usual price, while the taste remains unchanged. Rai had traveled to Ilam in 2019 (2076 BS) to learn commercial kiwifruit farming, where he discovered that kiwifruit could be stored in natural cold storage. After building such a storage facility four years ago, he has been storing kiwifruit for four to six months before taking it to market.
“In my experience, cold storage can be built according to the nature of the land. In some places it may not work as effectively because of the climate,” he said. “My land is naturally cold. Since it doesn’t get direct sunlight, the cold store works very well. I feel my land is ideal for this.”
The natural cold store is constructed by digging a pit in the ground and layering it with wood. The fruit is kept in crates and covered with tarpaulin to protect it from moisture. According to Rai, kiwifruit stored in Mangsir remains fresh until Baisakh–Jestha.
His natural cold store can hold up to 60 crates of kiwifruit. “My dream is to expand this natural cold store and make it much larger and more modern,” he said. “Electric cold stores can fail when the power supply is unstable, but here the natural cold keeps everything in good condition.”
Rai says natural cold storage has been a relief for him, as farmers often face losses when their produce does not fetch a good price. Since kiwifruit sells for a much higher price after late February (Fagun), he stores it until then before selling.
He suggests that farmers in areas without cold storage facilities build and test natural cold stores based on local climate conditions. When the harvest season is over, the price of kiwifruit can rise up to threefold. “This year there has been a glut of kiwifruit. I sold the portion that wouldn’t fit in the cold store early on. I’m storing the rest now,” Rai said. “Currently, B-grade kiwifruit sells for Rs. 60 per kilo, but after March it can sell for up to Rs. 150 per kilo.”
Earning up to Rs. 100 more per kilo, natural cold storage has become a boon for Rai.
However, mice often damage the stored kiwifruit, he said. Once bitten, the fruit ripens too quickly and begins to rot. “If we can protect it from mice, the fruit fetches a very good price,” he added. Farmers in the district have long been forced to sell their produce at low prices due to the lack of cold storage facilities.
Rai has planted 200 kiwifruit vines on around 15 ropani of land, of which about 40 are currently producing fruit, while the rest are young plants. He has been earning over Rs. 200,000 annually from kiwifruit and expects to earn even more in the coming years.
He has planted mostly the Hayward variety, which is known for its long lifespan. When kiwifruit farming first began in eastern Nepal, prices were high. As more farmers began cultivating it due to its attractive returns, production increased and prices have gradually fallen. Even so, Rai says kiwifruit remains far more profitable than traditional crops.
