Apples worth millions decaying in lack of roads to Chumnubri of Gorkha

Bhaktapur: Locally grown apples worth millions of rupees at Chumnuwri Rural Municipality of Gorkha district are in a condition of getting decayed due to absence of road in the village.

The local farmers, traders and people’s representatives have called for the positive intervention from the government to ensure a market linkage to the products grown in over 30,000 trees.

Production Campaign Nepal’s President Ramesh Pandit urged the government to make arrangements to transport the apples from remote rural municipality to cities. 

“The rural municipality has tremendous potential for agriculture and tourism. Apples worth millions of rupees have been left to rot since there is no road and market for the products. The government should ensure a market for fruits,” Pandit demanded.

The apples grown in the Himalaya have been named ‘Manaslu’ apples. 

A total of 450 kg of Manaslu apples were transported to Kathmandu via air on October 11 which spiked the price of apples at Rs 666 per kilogram, he shared, demanding facilitation from the government for the transportation.

He worried that those apples could rot if they were not immediately given access to the market. 

Nima Lama, chairperson of the municipality said there were 30,000 apple trees in the rural municipality. He emphasized better infrastructures to boost agricultural production and tourism there. 

According to him, the highland produces such as apple, millet, corn-based alcohol, apple-made wine could be produced commercially with branding.

Similarly, a local entrepreneur Lakpa Dhuddu Lama, who owns 12,500 apple trees, lamented the loss incurred from apple farming in lack of roads. He considered apple farming hoping that there would be a road connectivity to his village within three years thereby his production would get market but to no avail.

Similarly, potatoes, kiwi and dragon fruits grown in the neighboring Dharche Rural Municipality have also remained unsold due to lack of road connection and market linkage, said Sunila Gurung, vice-chairperson of the municipality.