August 8: Farmers of the mountainous district of Manang are getting attracted to apple farming with many finding their calling in this sector. Sol Bahadur Gurung of Naso Rural Municipality-8 has switched to apple farming from traditional agriculture as apple farming generates high income.    
 “I switched to hybrid apple farming from cereal crops as the production of cereal was of low quantity and the harvest got a delay. I could not generate good income from cereal crop farming,” he said.    
A high density apple farm based in Manang started growing hybrid apples on four ropanis of land by applying the high density farming technology. Encouraged by good yields, the apple farming has gradually expanded, according to Gurung.    
“Most of the farmers in Manang have planted apple saplings brought from the high density apple farm, and are generating good income from it,” he said. The farm has been expanding apple cultivation of various varieties including Fuji, gala, golden and delicious red apples initially brought from Italy and Serbia. These species are said to be producing good yields.    
Apple trees of these varieties start bearing fruits two years after plantation, and their production increases every year. So, farmers have been attracted to it, added Gurung.

“My apple trees started bearing fruits one year after plantation. It has been four years since they bore fruits,” he further said. Gurung started the farming with an initial investment of Rs 1 million. Now, he is satisfied with the income from the farming.    
Similarly, Tanka Gurung of Tilche of Naso Rural Municipality-6 has grown hybrid apple on three ropanis of land.

“This apple bears fruits much earlier, and we can get quick returns on the investment, he said, adding, “There is however a problem in transporting the apples to the market due to various reasons like the lack of accessible road network. We are satisfied with the apple production however.”    
Most of the farmers of the area have switched to hybrid apple farming using the high density farming technology, he added.    
Although apple can grow nearly in any zone, the fruit tends to thrive in climates where it is cold in the winter and moderate temperature in the summer with medium to high humidity rather than a hot and dry climate. In general, apples can grow best in the regions where the temperature rarely increases above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.    
They can grow best on a well-drained, loam soil with a depth of 45 cm and a pH range of 5.5-6.5. The soil should be free of hard substrata and water-logged conditions. Soil with heavy clay or compact subsoil should be avoided.    
An apple tree can produce up to 45 kilograms of apple in a season if the weather is favourable, say agriculture experts.    
Most of the farmers in Manang district have cultivated hybrid apple using the high density farming technology, said Rajeshwor Silwal, chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Manang. They are getting attracted to apple farming because of good production leading to an increase in their income, he said, adding that they were providing technical service to the farmers by reaching their orchards.

“Technicians have been deployed from the centre and local levels to provide service to the farmers. Apple cultivation is expanding from the lower parts of Manang to the higher areas,” he said.    
Agro Manang Private Limited introduced the high density farming technology by planting apple saplings brought by former lawmaker Polden Chhopang Gurung from Italy and Serbia. It has been growing apple species of gala, golden and Fuji on 735 ropanis of land at Bhratang of Dingsyang Rural Municipality in Manang.    
It produced over 450 metric tonnes of apple this year, said Samaraj Gurung, chair of Agro Manang. Last year, it produced more than 400 metric tonnes. It takes around one and a half months to pluck apples from the orchard, he said, adding that they generated an annual income of over Rs 50 million from apple farming.    
The production is supplied to various major cities of Nepal including Kathmandu and Pokhara under the brand of 'Himalayan Fresh'. Cold stores have been set up at Bhratang, Besishahar and Kathmandu.
"At present, Nepal has been importing apples worth Rs 13 billion annually from foreign countries. We must produce apples enough to meet the demand at home to stop the imports. For this, it requires motivation and encouragement for farmers to engage in apple farming," said former lawmaker Polden.    
We have a plan to export the apple produced here to third countries through Kolkata in India, said Samaraj.
The Himali (High Mountain Agribusiness and Livelihood Improvement) Project provided a subsidy of Rs 22 million to grow apple, and the Prime Minister Modernisation Project provided subsidies to purchase fertilisers and seeds, and in packaging, he said. Most of the apple trees (total 62,000) in the orchard have started producing apples, and 32 people have been directly employed, he added.    
According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Manang, apple cultivation has expanded to over 13,000 hectares of land using the new technology. The centre said that the government has been providing 50 percent subsidies for management and 75 percent for apple saplings after selecting the farmers.
Apples produced using this technology are generally considered to be of high quality, sweet and juicy with demand in the market, he said. The production is exported to Besisahar, Pokhara, Chitwan, Kathmandu and the international market as well, said the knowledge centre.    
The lack of road connectivity has posed a problem in transporting the produce from Manang. As a result, apples produced in Manang are not getting a decent price, complained the farmers. Due to bad condition of roads, in many cases, fresh and healthy apples end up rotting by the time they reach the market, they said. -- RSS