Villagers earning millions from the sale of oranges

Ananta Bahadur Khadka of Baglung Municipality-8 Sigana picked oranges from his garden and brought them to Pokhara this year. Khadka, who picked oranges and took them to Pokhara, received Rs. 450,000 this year. He saved Rs. 4 lakhs by reducing the wages and transportation cost of picking oranges.

The largest orange orchard in Sigana, known as the Orange Village, belongs to Ananta Khadka. In Khadka's orchard, 200 orange trees are produced. He said that the oranges were sold in Pokhara to get a higher price. "It costs Rs 60 to Rs 65 per kg to sell from an orange tree. I have sold it up to Rs 120 after taking it to Pokhara," said Khadka. It's done. " Khadka shared his experience of increasing the production of oranges if the focus is on garden improvement and sewage.

Similarly, another farmer Ram Bahadur Khadka of Sigana has sold oranges worth Rs. 200,000 from the plant this year. He informed that compared to last year, the production was less due to the effect of Ausa insects. "Last year it was Rs. 2.5 lakhs. The target is to get Rs. 3 lakhs this year with new production plants. "

Just like Khadka, more than 100 farmers have been cultivating oranges commercially. They have sold oranges worth about Rs 2.5 crore in Baglung Bazaar, Pokhara, and Chitwan markets this year. Rajan GC, Ward Chairman of Baglung Municipality-8 informed that the production of oranges in Sigana, which is a pocket area of ​​oranges, is gradually increasing every year.

"Around 30,000 orange saplings have been added to Sigana in the last five years," said Ward Chairman GC. The target is to sell oranges worth Rs 25 million this year. The municipality has been providing crop subsidies on the basis of planting oranges as it takes at least five years for the farmers to grow oranges.

Despite the farmers' target of selling oranges worth Rs 30 million this year, production has declined by Rs 5 million due to heavy rains and insect problems. There are more than 100 orange orchards in the orchards of more than 100 farmers in Sigana, producing a maximum of 200 to a minimum of 10 plants. They are expanding the cultivation of oranges by cultivating the fields and millet fields as the attraction towards orange cultivation have increased.

This year, the Baglung Municipality had distributed 2,000 orange saplings and 2,000 lemon saplings as a grant. Sigana has also been included as an orange pocket area under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project. Before the Corona in Sigana, an orange festival was also organized annually for the promotion and development of oranges. Due to Corona, the Orange Festival has not been held for two years. Demand for this specialty has grown significantly as a result of recent corporate scandals.