MUSTANG: Picking of early-ripening apples has begun in the orchards of Mustang. Farmers and traders have started harvesting the early varieties after district-level stakeholders set August 31 as the official date for their picking.
The District Coordination Committee, in the presence of representatives from the five local levels, the Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, the National Agriculture Modernisation Programme, the Programme Implementation Unit, the local administration and farmer representatives, had announced a schedule for harvesting early- and late-ripening apple varieties.
The schedule was prepared to maintain the quality of Mustang’s apples, ensure their proper sale and distribution, meet market demand and preserve the reputation of the district’s produce. Accordingly, early-ripening apples can be harvested from August 31, while late-ripening varieties can be picked from September 7.
Dr Lalmani Aryal, chief of the Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, said harvesting of early-ripening apples began in the district on Monday. According to him, Gala and Golden varieties of early-ripening apples have started being harvested in Thasang, Gharpajhong and Waragung Muktikshetra rural municipalities.
Aryal said farmers have started harvesting high-density, technology-based hybrid varieties, including Gala and Golden apples. Farmers and traders have begun harvesting apples targeting the Teej festival and the green season, he added.
Ram Tamang, manager of Green Mukti Agriculture and Livestock Development Farm, said harvesting of early-ripening apple varieties began at the orchard of farmer Bhim Gurung on Monday. Preparations are under way to harvest and transport the apples to Kathmandu in line with the schedule set by the district-level stakeholders.
Around three dozen workers have been mobilised at Gurung’s orchard for harvesting, placing apples in crates, transporting them to the storage facility, grading, weighing, packaging and loading. Tamang said the farm plans to harvest hybrid early-ripening apples grown on 40 ropanis of land and transport them to Kathmandu within two days.
Although harvesting of high-density hybrid apples has begun, locally grown traditional varieties will be harvested only after Bhadra, Tamang said.
Similarly, Chimle Achard Agricultural Farm in Dhumba, Gharpajhong Rural Municipality-5, is preparing to harvest its apples. However, farm manager Aitaram Tamang said harvesting would begin after a few days because the road to Kathmandu is currently blocked. He said the farm plans to market all its early- and late-ripening apples in Kathmandu.
With the beginning of the apple season, Mustang’s orchards have become increasingly active, while the movement of apple traders has also increased. Traders generally arrive in Mustang before Shrawan to visit farmers’ orchards and make advance payments, locally known as baina-patta, to secure the produce for sale and distribution.
Mustang produced apples worth more than Rs. 900 million last year. According to the Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, around 80 percent of the district’s apple production was sent outside Mustang, while the remaining 20 percent was consumed locally.
Apple cultivation covers around 1,400 hectares in Mustang. In recent years, farmers in the district have increasingly adopted high-density hybrid apple cultivation, which offers quicker and more efficient production.
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