Myagdi Orange Production Drops to Rs 316 Million Despite Higher Prices

Oranges, Myagdi’s main cash crop, generated Rs 316 million this year.

According to the Agricultural Development Office (ADO), Myagdi produced 4,515 metric tons of oranges from 430 hectares of land, with an average yield of 10.5 metric tons per hectare.

ADO chief Sanjeev Bastola said the production data were collected by harvesting oranges across the district. “Farmers sold oranges at an average of Rs 70 per kilogram, earning a total of Rs 316 million,” he added.

Orange orchards in the district cover 835 hectares. Last year, 4,781 metric tons were harvested from 425 hectares, with a higher yield of 11.25 metric tons per hectare, earning Rs 340 million in sales.

This year’s production dropped by 5.56 percent compared to last year. Bastola explained that the decline was due to the natural “alternate bearing” pattern of orange trees, which produce more fruit one year and less the next, despite good weather and no pest or disaster damage.

Even though the land under orange cultivation and market prices increased, productivity decreased slightly. Farmers sold oranges at Rs 70 per kilogram this year, up from Rs 65 last year.

Farmer Om Giri from Mangala Rural Municipality-3 said oranges from Myagdi are sent to markets in Beni, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Mugling. He earned about Rs 1.1 million from orange sales this year.

Better road access has made it easier for traders to buy oranges directly from orchards. The Prime Minister’s Agricultural Modernization Project, ADO, and local government agriculture offices are supporting orange farming through seedling distribution, training, orchard management, small-scale irrigation, and marketing help.