Myagdi, 16 December: A humid house has become effective for storing apples in Mustang. After the construction of the humid house, the problem of having to sell at the price set by the trader during the season and having to store apples in the open for a long time to increase the price has been eliminated. With the safe storage facility, farmers from Marfa, Gharpajhong Rural Municipality-2, have received both the price set by the trader and the market, said Buddhiman Lalchan.
“The apples that were picked in August/September and stored in a cold storage did not sell until Jestha(May),” he said. “The apples that cost up to Rs. 150 per kilogram in the season were sold for up to Rs. 250 per kilogram in the un season,” Lalchan said. He has stored the apples in a 10-metric-ton capacity cold storage.
Marfa farmer Bishwa Lalchan said that even when apples are stored in a humidor from Asoj to Chaita(August-May), there is no difference in quality, size, and weight. “In the absence of a humidor, apples had to be stored in a room or a cool place,” he said. “When stored like that, the temperature did not match and they rotted.” Unsold apples were fed to horses, mules, and cattle.
In Mustang, the Agricultural Knowledge Center, the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project’s Apple Zone, and local levels have constructed ten greenhouses with a capacity of about 300 metric tons. All greenhouses are stocked with apples for sale during the off-season.
Storing them in a cold storage equipped with environmentally friendly equipment has eliminated the problem of not being able to find a market and has allowed them to sell at a higher price. Bharatraj Gautam, Chief of the Apple Zone of the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Project, said that the demand for cold stores is high in Mustang because it is effective.
Apples are cultivated well in the villages of Marpha, Sauru, Chokhopani, Chimang, Kowang, Tukche, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Pakling, Lupra, Tambe, Chuksang, Chaile, etc. in Mustang. Gharpajhong and Waragungmukti are apple pocket areas here. According to the Agricultural Knowledge Center, apples worth Rs. 820 million were exported from Mustang to Pokhara, Kathmandu and other outlying districts, while the remaining apples worth Rs. 100 million were purchased by tourists visiting Mustang.
Senior Agricultural Extension Officer Rajesh Gurung said that 7,329 metric tons of apples were produced this year from apple trees planted in 600 hectares of productive area. This year, apple production has increased by 35 percent compared to last year. The high-density apple orchards sold it for Rs 200 per kg and other apple orchards sold it for Rs 160 per kg.
Gurung, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, said that apple production has increased this year due to the expansion of apple cultivation of fast-ripening, high-density hybrid varieties, disease management, and favorable weather.
