MYAGDI: Oranges worth Rs 316 million were produced in Myagdi this year, where the fruit remains the district’s main cash crop.
According to the Agricultural Development Office, Myagdi, a total of 4,515 metric tons of oranges were harvested from 430 hectares of land, with an average productivity of 10.5 metric tons per hectare.
Office chief Sanjeev Bastola said production data were collected through crop harvesting in orchards across the district. “Farmers sold oranges at an average price of Rs 70 per kilogram, generating a total income of Rs 316 million,” he said.
Orange orchards in Myagdi cover 835 hectares. Last year, 4,781 metric tons were produced from 425 hectares at an average yield of 11.25 metric tons per hectare, generating sales worth Rs 340 million.
Production declined by 5.56 percent compared to last year. Bastola said the decrease occurred despite favorable weather conditions and the absence of pests, diseases, or disaster-related damage. “This year saw reduced fruiting due to the natural alternate-bearing pattern of orange trees, which tend to produce heavily one year and less the next,” he explained.
Although the area under orange cultivation and market prices have increased, productivity has declined. Farmers who sold oranges at Rs 65 per kilogram last year received about Rs 70 per kilogram this year.
Farmer Om Giri of Mangala Rural Municipality-3, Bhorleni, said oranges from Myagdi were supplied to markets in Beni, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Mugling. He reported earning Rs 1.1 million from orange sales this year.
With improved road access, traders increasingly visit orchards directly to purchase produce. Support for orange farming is being provided by the Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project, the Agricultural Development Office and local government agriculture units through seedling distribution, technical training, orchard management, small-scale irrigation and marketing assistance.
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