Beni-Jomsom road blocked, Mustang apple sales slow

Mustang's apples have not sold as expected after the Beni-Jomsom road remained blocked for a long time.

The road was closed during the peak season when apple consumption is highest, leaving production stuck in the district. It reopened only two days before Ghatasthapana.

With all the apples reaching the market at once in the final phase of Dashain, traders have found it difficult to sell them. Stocks of Mustang apples have been piling up for several months in the warehouses of fruit sellers in Pokhara, Kathmandu, and elsewhere.

With sales slow, apples have begun falling from the trees. Raju Tamang, a trader from Khaniyabas Rural Municipality-3 in Dhading, said he bought more than NPR 10 million worth of apples from Mustang but has so far sold only half.

He said he is worried about how to recover his investment since he has already paid the farmers in full.