Kalikot produces 7,200 metric tonnes of apple

Kalikot: Despite good prospect and high hope, the apple orchards in Kalikot did not yield as expected this year.

The District Agricultural Development Office, Kalikot, said that a total of 7,200 metric tonnes of apple was produced in the district from 900 hectares of farmland.

The officials said that though the apple orchards cover 1,300 hectares of land in the district, the orchards spread only in 900 hectares have given fruits.

Tilagufa Municipality, Mahawai Rural Municipality and Raskot Municipality are the pocket area for apple farming in Kalikot.
The farmers here have started selling their products from the third week of August, Krishna Bahadur Shahi, a leading farmer from Tilagufa Municipality-10 said.

Each farmer here owns apple gardens and sells apples worth Rs 50,000 in a year, he shared.

Chief of Office Balaram Devkota said the farmers are given 70 per cent in subsidy to plant the apple saplings while promoting apple farming here.

At present, the farmers have sold per kilograms of apple at Rs 60 to Rs 70 from the gardens.