Lack of transport services hits Mustang apple farmers
RSS
BENI, Oct 5: Apple farmers in Mustang are a worried lot this year, too, due to lack of transportation services to take their produce to the markets.
Though the road to link the district across the Himalaya was constructed last year, lack of regular transportation service will hinder farmers from taking their produce to the markets.
Farmers said over 50 percent of their produce will go waste this year like in the past years. The farmers are forced to transport apples on mules and on the back to markets in Myagdi, Baglung, Parvat and Pokhara due to the lack of regular transport services. This mode of transportation takes farmers 3-4 days to take their produce to markets and causes damages to apples.
Apples are found at Rs 40 to Rs 50 a kg on fields and Rs 60 in district headquarters Jomsom. The same apples cost Rs 130 to Rs 140 by the time they reach urban centers. Air transportation of apple costs up to Rs 20 a kg.
Of the 16 VDCs in the district, apple farming is concentrated in eight VDCs. Last year, the district had produced 4,000 tonnes of apple. This year, the production is expected to go down by half, according to district agriculture development office.
The road linking Beni and Jomsom has been obstructed within four months of construction due to landslide during the rainy season. Many farmers had displaced mules after the road construction, but now the same road has been obstructed, said a farmer Mahabir Jwarchan.
Farmers earn a profit of up to Rs 100,000 from apple production every year. Over 400 hectares of land is under apple plantation in the district. Apple farming was launched in the district 43 years ago.
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Lack Of Transport Services Hits Mustang Apple Farmers
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