Rotten roads - Nepali Times

From The Nepali Press
Rotten roads
Ram Krishna Bohara in Naya Patrika, 10 September

FROM ISSUE #520 (17 SEPT 2010 - 23 SEPT 2010) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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In Dhorpatan, Baglung, you can get three apples for just a rupee. The going rate for apples in Nepal right now is Rs 90-120 per kilo.

The apple farmers of Dhorpatan have been compelled to slash their prices to a bare minimum because their produce has not been able to reach the market. Continuous rainfall has damaged the road to Baglung bajar and Bohara village, which was used to get at least some of their produce to consumers there and elsewhere in previous years.

"Although there are roads through which we could have reached the market, most of them are damaged," says Prem Bahadur Dharti, a farmer. "The transportation costs are too high for us to use mules."

Apple farming is done on 84 hectares of land in Dhorpatan and its surrounds. "In the absence of a market, thousands of apples are being turned into liquor," says Jeevlal Dharti, who owns 150 apple trees. He adds that it takes a day's walk to reach the nearest market and the apples cannot be transported by porters. They have demanded that the roads be repaired.

Last year, the rate was Rs 5 per apple, and production was 301 metric tons. This year, production has doubled to 675 metric tons, but most of this will be dried, turned into liquor, or simply left to rot.

1. Luba Svrcina

If the growers can't get the fresh aples to the market, what about processing the apples on the spot ? They could make apple juice and apple sauce as well, not just apple brandy. They could transport the products after the monsoon when the roads improve and it would create employment for people right in the region.

There is always talk about "development", but in remote regions not much happens. Here would be a good opportunity for a local enterprise.

Posted on: 19 SEPT 2010 | 11:22 AM NST

2. KiranL
Yeah, turn them into brandy. Revive Marpha Brandy.

Posted on: 20 SEPT 2010 | 10:01 AM NST

3. Nirmal
Actually in places like Jumla, people used to prepare house-made apple wine as it supposed very expensive to sell it in capital because of plane fare. I remember my aunty who used to bring it for my father whenever she had flights there, she was an air hostess in RNAC. He really loved that. Later, in 1997 when i visited Jumla and humla, I came to know that the Maoists enforced the total prohibition of its production. What a remedy against people in name of people! they are really maobaddies, aren't they?

Posted on: 23 SEPT 2010 | 2:34 PM NST