GORKHA: Apples produced in the Manaslu region of northern Gorkha have been stored in warehouses after floods along the Budhigandaki River washed away bridges and roads, disrupting transportation to markets.
Businessman Lakpa Dundup Lama said farmers and traders have been forced to store their apples because there is no viable alternative for transporting them to market.
Flooding triggered after an avalanche blocked the Ungilung River in Chumanubri Rural Municipality-6 on Asoj 25 washed away dozens of bridges and sections of roads along the Budhigandaki River, disrupting movement in the area.
The flood also blocked the Benighat-Arughat-Larke road, considered a lifeline for northern Gorkha. The road section connecting Sirdibas in Chumanubri Rural Municipality with Arkhet in Arughat has been obstructed.
Although the rural municipality and the Gorkha Road Project have initiated efforts to reopen the road temporarily, Lama said transporting apples remains impossible.
“The rural municipality has constructed a footpath for people, but mules cannot use it. There is no way to transport apples on mules,” he said.
Lama has cultivated several varieties of apples in an orchard at an altitude of 2,650 metres in Namrung, Chumanubri Rural Municipality-4. His company, In Gorkha Product Pvt. Ltd., has produced around 100,000 kilograms of apples this year.
According to Lama, 12,500 apple trees of the Gala, Golden, Red Delicious, King Delicious and Fuji varieties have yielded the harvest.
“We have harvested all the apples except the Fuji variety grown in Therang. It has been a month since we harvested Gala and Golden Delicious apples, and they have now started to deteriorate,” he said.
He added that a flood in the Therang River on Bhadra 21 damaged a micro-hydropower project, leaving the area without electricity and rendering the apple dryer inoperable. As a result, the company has been unable to process the apples as planned.
Lama expressed concern that despite a good harvest this year, large quantities of apples could go to waste because of transportation difficulties.
Transporting apples from the Manaslu region has been a recurring challenge, but this year’s floods have made the situation worse. It takes about a week to transport apples from Namrung and surrounding areas to markets using mules. During the journey, an estimated 20 to 25 percent of the apples are damaged.
Farmers say apples are frequently bruised when they collide with one another along narrow trails and deteriorate further after prolonged exposure to the sun.
Air transportation by helicopter is also an expensive option. The higher transportation costs increase the price of apples, making them difficult to sell in the market and leaving farmers with limited alternatives.
“Even if half the apples were damaged, we would still transport them by mule. But now the floods have damaged all the bridges and roads, leaving us without that option. We are in serious trouble,” Lama said.
Transporting apples and other agricultural products from the region, where road connectivity is limited, has long been a major challenge. With the floods making transportation almost impossible, farmers have resorted to drying apples in the sun and processing them into jam and alcoholic beverages.
However, these options are insufficient for producers with large harvests, leaving them with little choice but to watch much of their produce spoil.
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