Orange dealers, locally termed as orange contractors in Tsirang, are unhappy with the poor quality oranges which has to be bought at much higher prices than previous years because of poor yield this season.
With not many oranges to pluck, orange contractors have to resort to bargaining with farmers more often than ever. They say that they had come with high hopes to Tsirang, a place known for producing oranges with distinctive sweetness and succulence.
Besides poor yield, most oranges are small in size and get rejected in the market.
“I took my first lot of oranges to Thimphu. But due to its size and pigmentation, I didn’t fetch a good price. Later, I took it to Gelegphu depot. The price was better. There, oranges from Tsirang sell well,” said Usha Sherpa, an Orange Contractor at Tsirang.
“The price is much better this year. Sadly, yield and quality are not. At the orange depots in Gelegphu, we get a good price,” added Dawa Wangchuk, also an Orange Contractor.
Orange growers say it is a daunting task to maintain an orange orchard. And it is discouraging when at the end, the harvest is bad. Orange is one of the main cash crops for the people of Tsirang.
“Last year I sold the oranges from my orchard for Nu 67,000 and before that, I got Nu 73,000. This year, I am planning to sell for just Nu 45,000. I am aging and cannot work at the orchard like before. Maybe poor orchard management is one reason for the declining yield every year. Sometimes, I feel like cutting down all the trees,” shares Wangdi, from Kilkhorthang in Tsirang.
Currently, a box of orange fetches up to Nu 1,400, which is an increase of Nu 400 as compared to last year.
Namgay Wangchuk
