By Sher Bahadur Sarki, Bajura, Sept.1: Farmers in the north-eastern parts of Bajura are rushing to harvest this year’s apple crop as the fruit reaches maturity, but those in Pandusain are facing a major obstacle. A key road to market has remained blocked for four months.
Farmers in Himali, Swamikartik Khapar, Jagannath and Budhinanda municipalities have begun picking apples as the fruit ripens fully in September. Although the apples begin to mature from August, farmers wait until they are properly ripe before harvesting.
With ripe apples at risk of falling from the trees and going to waste, farmers are keen to sell the crop quickly. They are also optimistic about earning more this year, as apple production has improved compared with last year.
Unlike in the past, when farmers had to carry their produce to markets themselves, traders now increasingly travel to the orchards to buy apples. The development has made marketing easier for farmers and encouraged local communities to expand apple cultivation, including on land previously used for winter crops.
“Earlier, we had to pick apples and take them to the market for sale. Now, traders come to the orchard to buy apples. We don’t have to carry them to the market,” one farmer said.
Farmers sold apples for about Rs. 30 per kilogram at the orchard last year. This year, they expect prices to reach around Rs. 50 per kilogram. If traders fail to offer that price, some farmers say they will transport the apples to market themselves.
Bajura produces several varieties, including Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala Fuji and local varieties. The increase in yields has prompted more farmers to plant apple trees, with the area under cultivation expected to expand further.
According to the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Bajura currently has around 170 hectares under apple cultivation, with the area expected to exceed 180 hectares in the coming years.
More than 2,000 tonnes of apples were produced in the district last year, of which around 600 tonnes were sold outside Bajura, said Jasiram Sahni, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Bajura.
“This year, apples have grown better than last year. Now, there is a possibility of more than 700 tonnes of apples going outside the district,” said Sahni.
The district’s climate and soil are considered well suited to apple production. Seeing the potential for farmers to increase their income, the Agricultural Knowledge Centre has been working with local governments to provide new saplings, technical assistance and marketing support.
But while farmers in several northern areas have access to the Karnali Corridor, apple growers in Pandusain of Budhinanda Municipality face a more immediate problem.
Apples there have ripened and begun falling in the fields, but farmers have struggled to transport them to market because the Martadi-Kolti road has been closed since May.
Around 42 kilometres of the road remains affected by the disruption, which has repeatedly caused problems for farmers during the monsoon. Nanda Bahadur Rokaya, ward chairman of Budhinanda Municipality-10, said the prolonged closure had left apple growers worried about how to transport their harvest.
“The road was closed in May. That road has not been opened yet. After the road was closed, now the apple farmers here are worried about how to take them to the market. There is a problem of having to carry heavy loads to sell apples,” said Rokaya.
He said the apples had grown well this year and farmers could have fetched good prices had they reached the market on time. Instead, the road disruption has left growers facing the possibility of losses as the fruit ripens.
Jang Bahadur Rawal of the Physical Infrastructure Development Office in Achham said vehicles travelling from Kolti were stopping at Anai because they could not reliably cross the Bauli River.
A contract worth Rs. 55.888 million was signed with Dhangadhi-based TDR-Jugal Kaushik JV on 1 November 2021 to construct a concrete bridge over the river. The bridge was originally scheduled for completion by 27 February 2023. After the work was not completed on time, the deadline was extended to 14 March 2026, but the bridge remained unfinished.
The contractor received Rs. 15.5 million in payment, according to Subhash Shah, an engineer at the Road Division Office, Achham.
“The previous company has left the job. Now, Kasim Construction Service Mangalsain has started the construction of the bridge,” said Shah.
The Rising Nepal
