Sindhuli: Long before Sindhuli had a proper road network, local farmers were producing up to 10,000 tons of junar (sweet orange, Citrus sinensis) each season. However, due to lack of market access and transportation infrastructure, much of the fruit would rot in the orchard, wasting farmers’ efforts and investment. Without a reliable transport system, it was nearly impossible for producers to get their harvest to the market.
According to National News Agency Nepal, although the sweet orange orchards along the Mahabharat range yielded a promising quantity of fruit, the lack of transport infrastructure enabling export caused significant waste. Farmers who could carry their harvest in doko (traditional bamboo baskets) would spend an entire day reaching Madhi Bazar, only to sell a small portion while the rest perished due to lack of storage and timely market access.
In 2063 BS (2006 AD), construction of a cold storage facility began in Dobhantar, Kamalamai-4, Sindhuli, and it came into operation in 2067 BS (2010 AD), as noted by Deepak Koirala, Chairperson of the Junar Central Cooperative Union. However, initial operations faced challenges due to lack of technical knowledge, resulting in spoiled produce.
In 2012, an agreement between the Governments of Nepal and China to import sweet oranges from Nepal brought hope. This led to steps for improving storage, quality control, and packaging, coordinated by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and Nepal’s Department of Agriculture. The Sindhuli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, began constructing a dedicated junar industry building to support this export initiative.
Despite these efforts, the junar industry faced setbacks. An agreement with farmers to buy junar at Rs 25 per kg fell short when pest issues reduced production. Although the BP Highway improved market access, a mistake in the export agreement, requiring disease-free gardens rather than disease-free fruits, hindered exports to China. This has displaced more than 2,000 junar farmers, with production dropping from 10,000 tonnes to 3,000 tonnes.
The cold storage, constructed with Japanese Embassy support, and the junar factory under the public-private partnership model, have remained closed for a decade. Rs 13 million was invested in the cold storage building, with contributions from the Japanese Embassy, District Development Committee, village development committees, and junar farmers.
The Sindhuligadhi Junar and Fruit Processing Company, with a total investment of 60 million rupees, also faces challenges. Construction under the “One Village, One Product” project was halted after withdrawal of support from the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and a stop in government funding.
Local farmers express concern over the prolonged closure of the district’s only industry. Arjun Kumar Kshetri, President of the Sindhuli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized the need to establish junar industries to develop the district as an industrial center. Minister Sukumaya Tamang of Bagmati Province stated that the provincial government is willing to support restarting the industry, which could provide better market access for local farmers and contribute to the district’s economic prosperity.
Junar farming in Nepal, dating back to the Rana regime, was initially for personal consumption. It gained commercial focus under the 6th Five-Year Plan. Sindhuli and Ramechhap districts received special junar farming programs in the early 1980s, with Ramechhap declared a ‘junar zone’ in 2019. Farmers from 49 districts now grow junar, with Sindhuli and Ramechhap as leading producers.