Due to the landslide in the roof of the Jumla-Surkhet road section, apples worth about 130 million from Jumla have stopped on the way.
What you should know
Due to the landslide in Gagnekhola of Jumla-Surkhet section of Karnali highway, apples worth about 130 million from Jumla have been stopped on the way. Three days after the landslide, the trucks carrying apples have stopped on the road as they cannot be moved.
Agriculture Development Office Jumla has said that minimum 6 to 9 metric tons of apples are kept in one truck. Despite keeping an average of 8 metric tons of apples, 184 metric tons of apples are stranded on the road. Office head Ram Bhakta Adhikari said that all the eight local level apples of the district have stopped on the way. Now farmers are selling apples for 70 rupees per kg in the garden.
The chief officer of the office said, 'This time apples have decreased compared to last year. But due to the landslide, it is difficult to take it to the market. The Agriculture Office has estimated that 10 to 13 thousand metric tons of apples will be produced. In which 5 thousand metric tons of apples are projected to go out of the district.
The data collection work has started by keeping a record file in Nagm police station, Kalikot and Jumla airport about apple export of Jumla. Apple picking started in Jumla from 2nd of August. The chief officer of the office said that the road division office has informed that they are preparing to open the road soon after blasting.
According to him, due to the landslide, the farmers are not able to send the apples they have collected. "Traders and vehicles have reached the garden but they are unable to move due to the landslide," said the chief officer of the office.
This time, the amount of glucose in the apple is very tasty. Apple farmer Gopal Rokaya lamented that the road causes losses to apple farmers and traders every year. Nagm police station carried 23 trucks with 8 trucks on 14th August, 11 trucks on 15th and 2 trucks on 16th August. Asai Yam Sharma of the police station said that now every cargo vehicle going from Jumla is carrying apples.
Apple farmer Kali Bahadur Rokay, who went with 40 quintals of apples, said that the landslide was a problem. He said that it was difficult to deliver the apples to the market as they were kept on the road for two days. Last year too, 63 trucks carrying apples were stranded after the road was blocked from August 13 to 16. Millions of dollars were lost due to rotten apples.
Jumla's apples reach the markets of Surkhet, Nepalgunj, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Dhangadhi, Kailali, Chitwan and Butwal. Apple is being cultivated in an area of 4,400 hectares of the district.
