Market hassles end for orange farmers in Myagdi
Commercial orange farmers in various settlements of Bim are experiencing brisk sales this season.
KATHMANDU: Farmers in Bim, Malika Rural Municipality-7, Myagdi, no longer face the hassle of finding markets for their oranges as buyers now come directly to their orchards.
Commercial orange farmers in various settlements of Bim are experiencing brisk sales this season.
Local farmer Krishna Sharma of Dule expressed his relief, stating that with traders arriving at the orchards to buy produce, the need to search for markets and customers has ended. “Traders from Kathmandu are purchasing oranges directly from the orchards. Almost every orchard in the village has been visited by buyers,” he said.
The farmers here are selling oranges at Rs 65 per kilogram. This season alone, Sharma sold oranges worth over Rs 200,000. His orchard contains more than 100 orange trees.
The availability of motorable roads has made it easier for farmers to sell their oranges, eliminating the need to carry them manually to neighboring villages or markets like Darbang, as they used to do in the past.
As direct sales from orchards have increased in recent years, more farmers have embraced commercial orange cultivation. Every year, traders from urban areas visit the village with advance payments to secure their purchases.
Commercial orange farming is expanding in regions like Arkala, Narale, Okhaldhunga, Dule, Tunibot, Naumane, Bharbang, and Kharl of Bim.
Encouraged by the profits from orange farming, local farmer Bhim Prasad Bik shared his perspective: “Instead of struggling abroad, planting oranges in our own village can provide good income. There’s no need to look for buyers. I plan to expand my orchard this year by planting oranges on additional land.”
Farmers in this region earn between Rs 50,000 to Rs 800,000 from orange farming annually, contributing millions of rupees to the village economy.
Oranges produced in the district are supplied to major cities like Pokhara, Kathmandu, Butwal, and Bhairahawa. Farmers no longer face market shortages or transportation hassles with buyers arriving directly at orchards.
