Expansion of kiwi farming in Doti

Doti / Oct 26: The District Agriculture Knowledge Centre here has begun expanding kiwi plantation in Badikedar and Jorayal rural municipalities.

The kiwi plantation has been launched also in Dipayal Silgadhi municipality, and Adarshan and Bogtan Phungsil rural municipalities under the ‘winter fruit farming expansion’ programme.

Chief of the Centre, Ganga Datt Awasthi, informed that the farmers were attracted towards growing kiwi, also called Chinese gooseberry, as a kiwi vine bears fruits for over 25 years since plantation.

Hem Bahadur Malla from Dipayal Silgadhi municipality-6 has been engaging in farming Chinese gooseberry for nine years. He has raised nine plants of this fruit. “I had begun this new fruit farming with nine saplings which are now expanded to 40 grown vines. Area is also widened for it.”

I had to have patience to raise kiwi plants for initial four years, but since then the plants produced fruits. “Currently, I make a net income of over 200 thousand annually by selling the kiwifruit,” he shared, adding that one grown plant bears the fruit fetching Rs 30 to Rs 40,000 in a year in the beginning.

“At first, it was difficult to find market for kiwi in the district. People used to taste first and buy it,” he reminded those days of the kiwi sales. “But, now demand for it is growing even from outside the district. Consumers visit the orchard to buy the produce,” he added.

The deciduous plant needs pruning from time to time for which the Knowledge Centre provides skills through training. The Centre is also extending coordination and facilitation to the farmers for expand the plants and secure more harvest.

Similarly, Bhaskar Bhatta from Jorayal rural municipality-1 has involved in kiwi farming by tending over 500 plants. He had launched the venture by getting information from a YouTube video seven years back. Currently, he is raising 65 kiwi plants.

The Agriculture Knowledge Centre assisted him by providing 55 saplings and he bought others on his own. “Now, I’ve grown nearly four quintals of kiwifruits. I’ve coordinated with a supermarket at Dhangadhi for sales,” he shared.

He does not see any problem for marking this fruit. The daily demand in the district is of some 10 to 15 kgs, according to Bhatta. He is hopeful that he would grow as high as 60 quintals of kiwi next year.

With a slight acid taste, kiwi can be eaten both raw and ripe. It is rich in vitamin C.

The Knowledge Centre shared that like Malla and Bhatta, the number of people involved in commercial farming of Chinese gooseberry was growing in the district of late. Four farms were being operated in the district, while there were over 1,000 kiwi plants.