Galkot, Jan 2 : This year, 15 million oranges were produced by the farmers of Sigana, Baglung Municipality-8 of Baglung district, that has become known as the village of oranges. However, farmers said that production this year was lower than last year’s.  Oranges worth more than Rs 10 million have fallen because of heavy rains this year, according to the locals.

Top Bahadur Khadka, an orange farmer from Sigana, said that despite the extension of the orchards and strong sanitation, the production of oranges has decreased to 15 million this year.

According to the Ward office, the orange farmers of Sigana received Rs. 20 million last year from the the selling of oranges. “We had expected to sell oranges worth Rs 25 million to Rs 30 million this year due to the expansion of the orchards,” said Farmer Khadka.

Another farmer, Ram Bahadur Khadka, said that due to late ripening of oranges, the fruit could not be brought to the market in Sigana. Just oranges kept in cold storage are currently being sold at high prices.”

According to the Krishi Gyan Kendra Parbat, orange production in other parts of the district, including Sigana, which is the pocket area of orange, has decreased by 30 percent this year. The ward office has estimated that, according to the production of oranges, 1.5 million oranges will be sold this year. In Sigana, oranges are currently being sold at Rs 50 per kg. In Sigana, there are around 15,000 orange trees which  bear healthy fruits. At most, one plant produces Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 worth of oranges.

According to Rajan GC, ward chairperson of Banepa-8, in a span of three years, 28,000 orange saplings had been planted around the ward office. “Over the next two years, the saplings will start producing. It usually takes four years for an orange tree to grow,” said chairperson GC. “At least Rs 50 million worth of oranges will be exported from Sigana after three years.”

The ward office distributes 10,000 orange saplings annually to farmers with a 50 percent subsidy. The production of oranges will increase once the new saplings start bearing fruit and the business is supposed to expand by Rs 10 million annually .

Tulsi Khadka, an orange farmer, said that due to proper climate, she has begun growing oranges . In Khadka’s garden there are 100 orange trees. Most Sigana locals are drawn to orange farming. This year, farmer Ananta Bahadur Khadka, who earns Rs 500,000 annually from oranges, hopes to sell up to Rs 300,000 worth of oranges. The Sigana farmers were able to earn a maximum of Rs 70,000 from the selling of oranges earlier.

Sigana has storage facilities for oranges as well. A 20-ton orange moistening center was installed here two years ago by the Gandaki Province Government at a cost of Rs 3 million. Pokhara, Chitwan and Baglung Bazaar are the markets of oranges produced in Sigana.

With the aid of technology and managerial assistance from the agencies concerned, farmers in Sigana village are thinking of increasing orange farming. Under the Agriculture Modernization Initiative of the Prime Minister, Sigana has also been included in the ‘Orange Zone’ scheme.

The Municipality of Baglung has suggested that this year unwanted trees will be removed to plant an additional 10,000 orange saplings.

Bihu, Titang, Bhakunde, Damekal and other places are considered fertile for orange cultivation, along with Sigana. Orange are cultivated in an area of approximately 5,000 hectares in the district, according to the Parbat Agriculture Knowledge Center.

Baglung Mayor Janak Raj Poudel states that the municipality will continue the grant program to expand tea cultivation in the upper part of Sigana and orange cultivation in the lower part.