Myagdi, Feb 15: Orange is commercially grown on 810 hectares of land in Myagdi. However, only 425 hectares of the orange production bears fruit.
The impact of rising temperature on orange cultivation has been felt, said Sanjeev Bastola, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, Myagdi. “Although terrain of 900 to 1,500 meters above sea level is suitable for orange cultivation, as of recent production is good only in above that altitude,” he said.
He suggested that farmers should establish orange orchards only after testing the climate, weather and soil. Furthermore, after harvesting the fruits, the old orchards should be treated with fertilizer and water, and apply herbicide.
Hari Subedi, a resident of Maubaphant, said that the orange trees planted for household consumption have stopped bearing fruit in the past few years. He said that the orange trees in Maubaphant have been destroyed due to the effects of rising temperatures and increased acidity in the soil.
Maubaphant, the center of Raghuganga Rural Municipality, lies at an altitude of 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level. Orange cultivation has now started to improve in Phulbari, Dulepani and Bukl, which are located higher than Maubaphant.
Subedi said that the Mauwaphant oranges, which were once well-known and in high demand, are now a thing of the past. Despite the decline in the area of production, the overall yield has however increased in the district. Myagdi produced 3,600 metric tons of oranges last year, which increased to 4,781 metric tons this year.
Myagdi farmers sold oranges worth Rs 334.6 million this year, which was worth Rs 240 million last year, said head of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre Bastola. Oranges have been sold at an average rate of Rs 70 per kilogram. This year orange production was recorded to be 11.25 metric tons per hectare. Last year, it was 8.6 metric tons per hectare.
Orange production thus increased by about 25 percent compared to last year due to the expansion of new orchards, favorable weather and control of pests and diseases.
The Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project, the Agricultural Knowledge Center and the local level agriculture branches have been supporting orange farmers with seeds and saplings distribution, technical training, orchard management, small-scale irrigation and marketing.
This year the Agricultural Knowledge Center has announced an orange orchard strengthening program in 400 ropani and expanding cultivation in an additional 40 ropani of land so as to promote, orange, the main agricultural produce of Myagdi.
