By Sher Bahadur Sarki, Bajura, Aug. 2: The farmers in Bajura are facing a lot of trouble for transporting apples as the road is closed every year during the apple ripening season.
The Martadi–Kolti road has remained obstructed since the end of May and is unlikely to reopen before November.
Local farmers, who have increasingly turned to apple farming as a source of livelihood, said they are forced to suffer losses each year because the road closes just as apples ripen.
Apples in the district generally ripen from late July to mid-September. Unfortunately, the Martadi–Kolti road is also typically closed during this period. Although the road has been blocked since May, it has yet to reopen.
Prakash Rokaya, an apple farmer from Budhinanda Municipality-9, said, “I have around 400 to 500 apple trees, and most of them have yielded a good crop this year. The apples are now ready for harvest, but with the Martadi–Kolti road closed, I am worried about how I will get them to the market.”
He said, “If the road was open, traders would come directly to the garden to buy the apples. But because the road is closed, they do not come here, and it is impossible for us to carry the apples to the market on our back.”
Farmers said they face the same problem every year because of the prolonged closure of the Martadi–Kolti road. Although they have repeatedly raised the issue with the concerned authorities, no concrete action has been taken to address their issues, Rokaya said.
The eastern and northern parts of the district—including Budhinanda Municipality and the rural municipalities of Himali, Swamikartik Khapar and Jagannath—are major apple-producing areas.
In recent years, apples produced in these areas have been supplied to markets across the country. While farmers in Himali, Swamikartik Khapar and Jagannath can transport their apples through the Karnali Corridor to different parts of the country, producers in Budhinanda Municipality continue to struggle to reach markets because of the prolonged closure of the Martadi–Kolti road.
Although the road remains operational during the winter, it is frequently blocked throughout the monsoon season, making it difficult for farmers to transport their harvest to the market.
In the past, farmers cultivated only local apple varieties. However, they have now started growing improved varieties such as Gala, Fuji and Golden.
According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Bajura, around 600 tonnes of apples produced in the district have been sold annually in different cities across the country in recent years. Apple cultivation currently covers about 170 hectares of land in the district.
Last year, around 1,020 tonnes of apples were produced in Bajura, said Jasiram Sahani, Chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Bajura. “We have been providing transportation subsidies to help farmers deliver their apples to markets,” he said.
– The Rising Nepal