Jumla. The godown of traders who were preparing to sell raw apples has been sealed. Jumla’s Tila rural municipality has sealed the godown of a trader who sells unripe apples contrary to the decision of the rural municipality.
On Thursday, a team led by Gorikala Budha, the vice president of the rural municipality, sealed four apple godowns in Tila 1 Seri market. Earlier, Tila rural municipality had issued a notification on July 13 that apples cannot be picked and exported before August 5.
According to the decision of the Tila rural municipality executive body, according to the circular of the agricultural development office, the village was notified in the second week of July not to pick and export raw apples. However, on Thursday, a team including Vice President Budha and Acting Chief Administrative Officer Lalchandra Budha locked the apple godown after a complaint was received that raw apples were secretly exported in collusion between farmers and traders in violation of the decisions and information of the village council.
However, two truckloads of Tila 7 apples have already been exported secretly. After the apples of that ward were exported, ward no. Gorikala Budha, vice president of Tila Rural Municipality, said that the municipality sealed the godown when the farmers of Rara were busy picking raw apples and packing them for export. According to him, four warehouses were sealed on Thursday and three warehouses will be sealed on Friday.
Vice President Budha informed that the municipality has locked the warehouse where 142 cartoons of businessman Parvati Budha, 39 cartoons of Kamal Budha of Tila 9, 40 cartoons of Gorakh Bahadur Basnet of Tila 1 and 40 cartoons of Jag Rawat of Tila 2 are kept.
He said, ‘The remaining three warehouses will be locked in coordination with the traders. Even though the municipality banned the picking and export of apples before August 5th, it was sealed after they were found to have been exported after harvesting. We are adamant that we will not give recommendations before August 5 and will not allow exports.’
Acting Chief Administrative Officer Lalchandra Budha said that organic apples, which are associated with Jumla’s identity and economic prosperity, were not being bought and sold. He said that only after August 5th, apples will be exported by giving recommendations for sale.
He informed that strict action will be taken if they try to take it secretly and stricter security checks have been requested at Nagm, Rarakudari police station. Along with Tila, it has been found that raw apples were exported from different areas of Jumla. Although there have been many decisions and discussions to stop the export of raw apples, due to the lack of attention of stakeholders in the implementation, raw apples are exported in collusion between farmers and traders.
After sealing the Tila godown, the farmers and traders have demanded that the municipality should take responsibility if the cartons of apples are packed and stored for two weeks and then rot. They have also complained that some are allowed to take apples and some are stopped.
From Jumla, which is considered to be the center of organic apple production, farmers and traders buy raw apples in the market for temporary profit. Because of this, the identity of Jumla, which introduced organic and delicious apples, is in danger.
Apples are just filled with color. But the traders have already reached the villages. Farmers are also intending to sell in the hope of getting a good price. Every year there is a discussion and decision to stop the export of raw apples, but it is a challenge to stop it.
Farmers say that they do not get a good price later and have to keep it at home, so they pick it and export it immediately. However, if the local government takes over the purchase of apples, the farmers say that they are ready to keep them on the plants till October. But the government is not ready to take charge of the farmers’ production.
According to government statistics, about 19 thousand households in Jumla are cultivating apples. Apples are cultivated in all the eight municipalities here. But most of the farmers have not been able to get benefits according to their labor due to lack of knowledge about apple orchard management.
Even the local level has not been able to provide sufficient skills and techniques to apple farmers from concessions in transportation to sewage and garden management. Jumla does not even have a grading machine. Due to this, there is a possibility that the apples of Jumla will be sold in Hachuwa and earn crores of income, but the farmers have to bear losses.
