The results of the first commercial orange cultivation in Dang have been encouraging.
Local farmers are excited about the orange cultivation in Banglachuli, a hilly area of the district. Farmers are happy after the commercial cultivation in Sakine and Kudule villages of Banglachuli Rural Municipality-5 has yielded lots of oranges. They have started earning by selling oranges.
It has been 6 years since the commercial cultivation of oranges started in Sakine. The local government also has support in this.
To develop Sakine village as an orange pocket area, the Ward Office of Ward No. 5 provided ten lakh rupees and the District Agricultural Knowledge Center provided a subsidy of four million rupees to orange plant farmers.
According to Leela Bahadur Gharti, the current ward president of Ward No. 5, after the grant, the farmers have moved on to commercial farming. Gharti’s identity is not limited to the Ward President. He is also involved in orange farming.
In his village, he is the largest commercial orange farmer. His garden currently has about 200 plants.
“There were about 700 plants in our house,” he said, “After the holidays, I have about 200 plants.”
He claims that commercial cultivation of oranges should be done in the village and that he is the first person to start cultivation.
The orange trees near him are all new. Last year it bore fruit. This year, more than half of the plants have fruit set. All the picked oranges have been sold.
‘Half of the oranges have been sold,’ he said, ‘there are about five quintals left to harvest.’