SYANGJA: Orange cultivation in Syangja has expanded to 2,350 hectares, nearly tripling since the launch of the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project, which upgraded the district from an Orange Zone to an Orange Superzone in fiscal year 2073/074.
At the start of the project, orange orchards covered just 887 hectares. According to Pratibha Budhathoki Chhetri, Information Officer at the Project Implementation Unit of the Orange Superzone, the area reached 2,250 hectares by the end of fiscal year 2080/081 and expanded by an additional 100 hectares in the last fiscal year alone.
The project supports farmers—particularly those affiliated with cooperatives, farmer groups, and commercial farms—by providing subsidies for orange seedlings, irrigation systems, Bluetooth-enabled agricultural tools, vaccinations, and pesticides.
Currently, orange farming is active in 24 cooperatives, 87 farmer groups, and 251 private and commercial farms across the district. “
Of Syangja’s 11 local levels, orange superzone activities are ongoing in all except Kaligandaki Rural Municipality,” said Chhetri. “The highest rate of expansion is seen in Putalibazaar, Bhirkot, and Arjun Chaupari.”
In fiscal year 2081/082, oranges cultivated from 60 percent of the orchard area generated income worth Rs 1.12 billion. Production is expected to rise in the coming years, as the remaining 40 percent of newly planted orchards have yet to bear fruit.
This marks the final year of the Orange Superzone project, which was designed to run for a 10-year period.
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