How Road Access Turned Oranges into Cash Crop for Bhojpur Farmers

Orange farming has emerged as a reliable source of income for farmers in Bhojpur, thanks to the expanded road access which played a key role in opening markets beyond the district.

Farmers engaged in commercial orange production say they are receiving better prices as their produce now reaches major markets outside the district. Until recently, the lack of transportation forced them to rely solely on local markets. With improvement in road connectivity, oranges grown in remote villages are now being transported to cities such as Dharan, Itahari, Birtamod, Biratnagar and Kathmandu.

Devaraj Rai, a farmer from Khawa Kerabari–5, says traders now come directly to orchards to purchase oranges in bulk, something that was impossible when road access was poor. Rai cultivates oranges commercially on 22 ropanis of land, with around 200 trees, and earns approximately Rs 500,000 annually.

“This is the peak season for oranges. The entire village is selling its produce,” Rai said. “I earn about Rs 500,000 every year from orange sales. Earlier, we had to depend only on local buyers.”

Around 120 households in the area are engaged in commercial orange farming. Farmers say selling entire orchards to contractors has reduced the hassle of retail sales and ensured timely payments. The long productive life of orange trees has further encouraged farmers to shift towards orchard-based agriculture.

With orange farming becoming a major source of income, the local government has introduced incentive programmes to promote cultivation. Ward Chair Sunil Rai of Temkemaiyung–5 said the ward has prioritised orange farming by declaring pocket areas and extending support to farmers.

“Farmers here are earning well from orange sales,” he said. “The ward is providing necessary assistance to promote and sustain orange cultivation.”

Under the agricultural pocket programme, the ward allocated Rs 200,000 last year to distribute improved orange saplings to farmers.

Although oranges are produced in all local units of Bhojpur district, production is particularly high in areas such as Khawa, Kerabari, Annapurna, Chhinamkhu, Kot, and Gogane of Temkemaiyung Rural Municipality; Dawa, Bomikh, and Pokhare of Bhojpur Municipality; Shadananda Municipality, Hatuwagadhi Rural Municipality and Ramprasad Rai Rural Municipality.

According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Bhojpur, the district produced 6,293 metric tonnes of oranges last year. Officials said production data for the current season is still being collected as harvesting and sales are ongoing. -- RSS