NAWALPARASI: Farmers in Nawalpur are delighted this season as oranges are selling directly from their orchards at good prices.
Gesh Bahadur Rana of Babak, Boudikali-5, Nawalpur (formerly Bardaghat Susta Purba) said he is pleased that, unlike in previous years, traders are buying oranges directly from the orchards, saving farmers the effort of taking their produce to the market where prices used to be lower.
Rana shared that orange farmers in Babak—well known for orange production in the district—are now selling easily from their orchards, with local traders paying between Rs 60 and Rs 65 per kilogram.
“On the one hand, oranges are selling easily right from the orchards; on the other, we’re getting better prices than last year,” he said. “Last year, the price was around Rs 50 to Rs 55 per kilo, but this year it has gone up.”
Farmers across the hilly areas of Nawalpur are now busy harvesting oranges. Krishna Saru, an orange grower from Bulingtar-5, Raikot, who owns about 1,000 trees, said that selling from the village has become much easier. Once ripe, he sells his produce in the local markets.
Saru added that favorable weather has improved the quality of the fruit this year. “Last year, the oranges from Raikot were small, but this year the fruit size and seeds are much better,” he said.
Currently, most of the oranges are being consumed in local markets, including the Kawasoti area. “We are sending the produce to nearby markets for now. Let’s see what happens later,” Saru said.
Oranges are mainly produced in the hilly regions of Babak, Raikot, Jaubari, Dhodeni, and Deurali. Farmers have started picking oranges, and local traders are purchasing them directly from orchards. “Some traders call us with their demands and send vehicles to collect the oranges,” said Rana.
He added that the oranges are being supplied not only to the local Nawalpur markets but also to Narayangadh in Chitwan. “It’s much easier for us now. Traders fix the price in advance and pick up the fruit themselves. We no longer have to worry about taking it to market or negotiating prices,” he said.
Local traders have also started collecting oranges from different villages, which has further eased the selling process for farmers.
With the launch of the Orange Fruit Zone Program under the National Agriculture Modernization Program, Program Implementation Unit Nawalpur, commercial orange farming has been steadily expanding in the district.
According to the office’s information officer, Ran Bahadur Mahato, Nawalpur currently has 180 hectares of land under orange cultivation. In the last fiscal year, the district produced 1,400 tons of oranges and 18 tons of lemons. Farmers earned about Rs 89 million from orange sales and Rs 1.786 million from lemons, Mahato said.
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