Transport costs dear for Bajura apple
Sudurpaschim: Pawan Kattel, a trader here, paid Rs 40 for each kilogram of apple to supply it from Bajura to Dhangadhi. Kattel, who was planning to make good income in the time of festivals, complained of losses due to exorbitant transportation cost.
Kattel paid maximum of Rs 40 for the farmers in the apple orchards but has been facing hardship to supply the fruit to the market also due to poor road network. Each kilogram of apple is sold at Rs 80 in the Dhangadhi market.
He shared that Rs 10 was paid for the apple picking in the farm and Rs 30 for transporting all along from Jukotlesi in Bajura to Dhangadhi in Kailali through Kalikot, Dailekh, Surkhet, Banke and Bardiya. Pandusen, Budhinanda, Swamikattik and Jagannath rural municipalities are famous for production of organic apple in Bajura.
However, the farmers here have not gotten the good market and price, for which poor road network, insufficient storage and other reasons are blamed. Padam Bahadur Shahi, a farmer from Swamikattik Rural Municipality, complained of non-cooperation from the government agencies, adding that he has not gotten good price for the apple grown in 20 bighas of land. The agricultural technicians admitted that there is a serious problem on the marketing of agricultural products, including apple produced in the mountainous districts.
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