Farmers in Arbhalyang, Mangala Rural Municipality–4 in Nepal, are shifting from grain production toward commercial orange cultivation as households look for alternative income sources. Growers who previously planted wheat, corn, and millet are replacing these crops with citrus orchards, with many reporting easier production and the ability to sell fruit directly from their orchards.
Local grower Yogendra Man Sherchan converted about seven ropanis, or 0.35 hectares, from millet and corn to oranges. Of the 450 trees he planted, 150 are now fruiting. Farmers note that orange production is suitable for fields without irrigation and has become an important contributor to household income. Around the settlement, growers are expanding orchards, and the area is increasingly viewed as an emerging orange-producing zone.
Producers, including Lalmati Roka, Prasar Kandel, Kaladhar Kandel, Kesman Sherchan, Padam Bahadur Roka, Yam Bahadur Roka, Bhabilal Kisan, and Nandalal Bik, have adopted commercial production. Villagers have planted roughly 2,000 new orange trees in recent years, supported by stable demand and orchard-gate sales.
Roka reported that 250 of his trees are currently in production, and he has planted an additional 80 saplings. Traders visited orchards this season to purchase fruit on contract. He said that "last year, production was so high that branches broke under the weight of the fruit. We sold oranges at Rs 55 per kilo. This year, we have agreed to sell a carat at Rs 1,500." His family earned Rs 400,000, or about US$3,000, from orange sales last year, although this season's yields are lower.
Farmers have formed the Solighopte Farmers Group to support the expansion of commercial orange growing. A challenge has emerged with the drying of both mature and newly planted trees, and growers have asked the rural municipality for assistance with disease prevention and treatment.
Source: Khabarhub
