Nepal more relying on imported fruit
However, the government of Nepal seems to have internalized the saying -- literally.
Appalling neglect of horticulture sector over the decades has affected the production and improvement of fruits varieties in the country.
The government´s neglect of the sector is reflected through the fact that it has virtually done nothing to promote fruit production over the past half a century -- after a dozen horticulture farms were established back in 1961 to promote the sector.
Now that the numbers of fruit trees are gradually declining, the people are feeling the direct impact of the government´s lethargy - in the form of ever increasing price of fruits.
"The mangoes, litchis, apples and oranges would have been rare fruits for Nepalis until now if the horticulture was not promoted in the past," says Horticulturist Dhana Bahadur Thapa who is currently posted at the Central Horticulture Center in Kirtipur.
No wonder that the statistics on fruit imports shows a worrisome trend of increasing dependency in the foreign countries.
The country imports fruits worth Rs 6 billion (73,000,000 Euro) every year, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Commerce and Supply in March.
Nepal´s dependency on import to meet domestic demand for fruits is increasing due to lack of government programs to reduce import by promoting fruits farming within the country, analyses horticulturist Thapa.
India is the major suppliers of fruits to Nepal, which covers almost 75 percent of the country´s total import, he adds.
Source: www.myrepublica.com
