Syangja earns over Rs 1.12 billion from orange sales this year

KATHMANDU: Syangja district has generated over Rs 1.12 billion from orange sales this year, thanks to production in the Orange Super Zone area under the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project.

According to Pratibha Budhathoki Chhetri, the Information Officer for the Orange Super Zone Implementation Unit, the district produced 20,084.2 metric tons of oranges this year, with 90% of the produce sold at an average wholesale price of Rs 56 per kilogram.

This year, the orange orchard area in Syangja expanded to 2,280 hectares, with productivity reaching 14.66 tons per hectare.

Compared to the previous fiscal year, when the area was 2,100 hectares and production stood at 19,870 metric tons, this marks a 50-hectare increase in productive land.

Before being declared a Super Zone, orange cultivation in Syangja was limited to 887 hectares.

Since its designation as a Super Zone in the fiscal year 2075/76, the area under cultivation has significantly expanded.

The initiative has attracted more farmers to orange cultivation, according to Bodhraj Aryal, Chairperson of the Orange Super Zone Management Committee.

The region produces various orange varieties between Shrawan (mid-July) and Falgun (mid-February).

Among notable contributors, Triputra Horticulture Farm in Arjunchaupari Rural Municipality-1 alone transacted oranges worth Rs 50 million this year.

The farm supplies large quantities to businesses like Bhatbhateni Supermarket, selling oranges at prices ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 85 per kilogram.

Farm operator Phaninarayan Aryal, a leading orange farmer in the district, stated that despite a drop in selling prices compared to last year, he earns Rs 6–7 million annually from orange sales.

The orange business in Syangja is gradually becoming a primary source of income, with both subsistence-level and commercial farming practices expanding across key areas such as Putalibazar, Waling, Bhirkot, Galyang, and rural municipalities like Andhikhola, Phedikhola, Biruwa, Harinas, and Arjunchaupari.