By Amrit Prasad Paudel, Beni, Sept. 8: The locals of Marpha, Mustang, are actively working to pluck and sell the juicy ripened delicious apples, which are famous across the nation as the Marpha apples.

The meeting of COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC), Mustang, has decided that the wholesalers and distributors could inspect the apple garden while staying in quarantine, in approval of the ward office, and on the responsibility of the garden owners.

Jagdish Acharya, Assistant Chief District Officer of Mustang, said that the CCMC had decided that workers from other districts couldn’t be brought to pluck the apples.

Although the apples grown this year is less in quantity if compared to last year, around 5,000 metric tons of apples are estimated to be sold this year, said Yamuna Lama, technician of the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project Implementation Unit, Mustang district.

"Last year, 5,528 metric tons of apples were exported from the district. Although the production is lesser this year, the apples have fully ripened. This increased the pricing compared to last year," said Lama.

She added that the price of apples had increased by Rs. 10 this year.

The farmers are preparing to send the apples to the market in mid-September.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and obstruction of the Beni-Jhomsom-Korala road section, the apples couldn’t be transported to the market on time this year.

Dipak Lalchan, a farmer of Marpha, said, "Though late, we are happy that quality apples are going to the market this year."

He added that the production of apples was less this year due to heavy snowfall and rainfall.

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