BAGLUNG: Sigana, a ward in Baglung Municipality-8, has earned recognition as an ‘orange village’, with local farmers increasing orange production year by year.
Ananta Khadka, who had leased his orange orchard to a businessman from Dhading for Rs 500,000 last year, sold it outright this year for Rs 750,000. In total, the village earned Rs 40 million from orange sales this season.
Khadka expressed his satisfaction with both the yield and the favorable market prices this year. “More than 100 farmers earned between Rs 100,000 and Rs 700,000 each from orange sales. Other farmers also earned smaller amounts,” he said.
Orange production statistics in Sigana are maintained by Ganesh Krishi Cooperative, not the ward office. Known for their taste, Sigana oranges are supplied to markets in Pokhara, Kathmandu, and Chitwan. Farmers have been engaged in commercial orange cultivation since 2050 BS, gradually converting millet and paddy fields into orange orchards.
Over the next five years, orange farming is expected to cover the entire village, with planting ongoing in Bensi, Patale, Pakhabari, Bansbot, and Sykot.
Last year, Sigana farmers earned Rs 35 million from orange sales; this year, earnings have risen to Rs 40 million. Shivakumar Khadka, a local leader, noted an increase in production worth Rs 5 million compared to last year. He said cooperatives are distributing orange seedlings with subsidies to further expand cultivation.
Favorable weather and the absence of crop diseases have contributed to higher production. After grading, oranges are sent to markets such as Pokhara at varying prices. Ganesh Krishi Cooperative chairman Ram Bahadur Khadka said that official statistics on oranges had only begun last year, and this year sales have already brought over Rs 40 million to Sigana.
Currently, more than 250 farmers own small to large orange orchards in Sigana, with 400 new plants producing fruit this year. Wards 3, 4, 5, and 7 are major production areas. Most farmers are cooperative members, and production continues to rise annually, former ward president Jit Bahadur said.
Local farmers including Top Bahadur Khadka, Ram Prasad Gautam, Radha Khadka, and Ganga KC are marketing their oranges through traders in Pokhara, Chitwan, Narayangadh, and Dhading. Expansion of orchards and improved irrigation and sewage management have contributed to the flourishing orange industry in Sigana.
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