Jumli apple becomes a brand as farmers' income grows

Jumla's apples are now establishing themselves as a sought-after brand in markets across the country, giving local farmers reliable income.

Before the Karnali Highway connected Surkhet and Jumla, much of the apple crop used to rot on the trees for lack of market access. Like apples from Manang and Mustang, Jumli apples have in recent years become a top choice in markets nationwide.

Financial and technical support from the RERAS project under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), along with active local cooperatives, has made apple farming commercial and modern. Previously, farmers used to pull and break branches while picking fruit, damaging the following year's buds. Now, farmers have received orchard management training through farmer schools run by the project.

The use of irrigation, organic fertilizer and modern technology has raised production. After cooperatives took over market management, farmers have received fair prices, and the sale of fake Jumli apples has been curbed.