Lack of road access has put apples worth millions of rupees grown in Chumnubri Rural Municipality of Gorkha district on the verge of decay.
The local farmers, traders and people’s representatives have called for the positive intervention from the government to provide a market to the local produce grown in over 30,000 trees.
Production Campaign Nepal's President Ramesh Pandit urged the government to make arrangements to transport the apples from the remote rural municipality to cities.
The rural municipality has a huge potential for agriculture and tourism.
“Apples worth millions of rupees have been left to rot since there is neither road to transport them nor market to sell,” Pandit told RSS, the state-owned news agency.
Locals have named the apples ‘Manaslu’ after Mount Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world which lies on the border between Gorkha and Manang districts.
A total of 450 kg of ‘Manaslu apples’ were transported to Kathmandu via airways on October 11, when the demand for fruits grew during Dashian. The price had spiked to as high as Rs 666 per kg, Pandit claimed, demanding facilitation from the government for their timely transportation.
Read: Vehicles Loaded with Apples Left Stranded Along the Karnali Highway for Four Days
Nima Lama, Chairman of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, told RSS that there are around 30,000 apple trees in the rural municipality.
“Better infrastructures would boost agricultural production and tourism in the area,” said Lama, adding that the highland produce such as apples and millet, and locally made alcohol based on them could be branded for commercial production.
Lakpa Dhuddu Lama, a local entrepreneur, who owns 12,500 apple trees in his orchard, lamented the loss incurred from apple farming in lack of roads.
When Lama began apple farming three years ago, he had high hopes of a road connecting his village to the markets in the Southern areas soon. “It is disheartening not to have any transportation facility,” he said.
Situation in the neighbouring Dharche rural municipality is no different. Local produce such as potatoes, kiwi and dragon fruits remain unsold, bemoaned Sunila Gurung, Vice-Chair of the rural municipality.
RSS
