Mustang Produces Over Rs 1 Billion Worth of Apples This Year

Apple production in Mustang has increased this year compared to last year, according to the Mustang Agriculture Knowledge Center. This year, the district produced 7,636 metric tons of apples, up from 7,238 metric tons last year.

The center reported that apple sales this year are valued at Rs 1.10 billion, compared to Rs 918.67 million last year.

Rajesh Gurung, head of the Mustang Agriculture Knowledge Center, said the figures were calculated based on monitoring of different orchards by local agricultural technicians, along with surveys conducted by local agricultural offices and farmers.

So far, 80 percent of this year’s apple harvest has been exported outside the district, 10 percent consumed locally, and 10 percent remains to be harvested.

Read: Apple Farming Shifting to Higher Elevation in Mustang

Mustang has 832 hectares of local apple orchards and 60 hectares of high-density hybrid apple orchards. This year, local apple production reached 6,069 metric tons, and hybrid apple production totaled 1,567 metric tons. The center estimated that local apples contributed Rs 788.97 million, while hybrid apples added Rs 313.4 million to the district’s economy.

According to the center, local apples are sold at Rs 130 per kg and hybrid apples at Rs 200 per kg. This year, the average yield per hectare was 10.41 metric tons for local apples and 26.12 metric tons for hybrid apples. Last year, local apple yield per hectare was 10.74 metric tons, a slight decline of 0.33 metric tons, while hybrid apple yield increased by 1.12 metric tons per hectare, reaching 26.12 metric tons this year. Overall, Mustang achieved an average yield of 11.87 metric tons per hectare across both varieties.

Gurung noted that while local apple production slightly declined in lower Mustang, production in upper Mustang remained unaffected. The increase in total apple output is also attributed to expansion of orchards. Local apple cultivation areas expanded from 566 hectares last year to 583 hectares this year, and hybrid apple orchards increased from 50 hectares to 60 hectares. -- RSS