Lamjung witnesses decline in orange production this year

Production of oranges has decreased in Lamjung. The decrease in orange production has been attributed to disease in the orange plants as well as lack of sufficient care of the orange orchards.

Orange production has been decreasing for some years in Syaut village, which is listed as a pocket area by the District Agricultural Development Office. Until a decade ago, farmers earned an annual income of up to Rs 20 million from orange orchards across the village.

Farmers have said that there has been a decrease in production even in high-productivity areas such as Chiti, Gaonsahar, Simpani, Bhorletar, Kuncha, Gahte, Duradanda, Rainas, Bhoje, Udipur.

Bhagwati Pant of Syaut in Benisahar Municipality-11 has planted more than 600 orange trees on 13 ropani of land. A decade ago, she was earning Rs 600,000 to Rs 700,000 per year. But in recent years, she barely earns Rs 80,000.

Information officer at Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Bijay Paudel, said 400 metric tons of oranges have been produced in the current fiscal year 2080-81 from the orange plantations in an area of 130 hectares in the district. In the last fiscal year, 525 metric tons of oranges were produced in 125 hectares of land in the district. Hence, although the area under orange cultivation has increased the production has decreased by 125 metric tons.

According to the Center, there has been a decrease in the production due to various diseases, insects and lack of sufficient attention of the farmers during the production stages of oranges. Orange farmers not paying attention to work such as pruning, regular care, irrigation, and plant selection, orange orchards are disappearing.