He has 320 orange trees in Kimbot village. Of these, 250 are bearing fruit. He visits the village every week to take care of the oranges.
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Recently, the village has been emptying due to migration. Those in the village are also planning to move to the city. Loknath Kandel is one of those migrating from Kimbot in the district.
He came to Baglung Bazaar 13 years ago in search of convenience and is still often found in the village. The main reason why Kandel is found in the village is oranges. Known as a leading farmer in the district, Kandel has not left his land and house even after migrating.
He has 320 orange trees in Kimbot village. Of these, 250 trees are bearing fruit. He visits the village every week to take care of the oranges. Kandel has been cultivating oranges for more than three and a half decades.
Orange farming, which he started with an investment of Rs 35,000 in 2047 BS, is now thriving. His income is increasing every year. When Kandel started cultivating oranges in 2047 BS, there was no road in Baglung district. Local Kasiram Kandel had started orange farming in the Bihun area. He learned from him and planted oranges. Sixty-year-old Kandel has been cultivating oranges on an area of 14 ropanis.
Kandel says that he did not leave Baglung and settle far away because of his love for the village and his passion for orange farming. He says that after the surrounding neighbors left the village in droves, he also came to Baglung Bazaar with his family. Kandel said that he only came to the Bazaar in the hope of getting treatment nearby when he was sick. Stating that all his property is in the village, Kandel said that he is still the largest orange producer.
‘The market has fallen because it is close to the hospital where medicine is available, all our relatives and neighbors have gone to the Terai, we have come to Baglung market because we need a house, it is close to the village, I go to the village every week to fertilize and water the oranges,’ he said, ‘I only want to live in the market, my mind is in the village every day, there are many oranges in the village, and now they are getting ready to be picked, I am afraid of thieves.’
Oranges all over the fields where millet and corn grow
Kandel recalled that he used to earn a living by producing millet and corn in the fields where oranges grow in abundance. Kandel says that producing corn and millet would not be enough to eat throughout the year, but now oranges have changed his standard of living. He says that he has educated his sons from orange farming, and now they are all in Japan, America and Portugal.
Kandel said that he did not have to keep any land fallow after starting orange farming. Recalling that when he was growing oranges, he used to carry them to Baglung market on a cart because the village was not connected by roads, and said that this is not the case now. He said that even those who migrated to the Terai did not sell their land due to their love for oranges.
He said, ‘Initially, we used to carry them to Baglung market on a cart, now traders come to the fields and buy them in bulk. When we sell in bulk, we cannot get a fair price. If traders are not given a plot of land, they are afraid that they will rot without a market. If the state gives a fair price to our products and markets them, we could earn a lot of income.’
Loknath, who grows the most oranges in the district
He is the farmer who produces the most oranges in Baglung district. Last year, he sold oranges worth 1.3 million. This year, he has sold 1.5 million. Kandel said that the family has kept an additional 200,000 for food. Stating that they started farming with thirty plants, they are adding new plants every year.
Kandel said that they have invested more than 2.5 million so far. He says that there is no one in Kimbot village who does not cultivate oranges now. He says that the Bihun area has recently become known as an orange village. Kandel said that traders from Chitwan and Dhading have already purchased orange orchards this year. He says that although there was some damage due to hail during the growing season of oranges, the production has increased compared to the previous year.
