In Dolakha, kiwi farming flourishes, yet no one buys the fruit.

In his orchard, Raju Thapa has a bumper crop of kiwis. However, he is concerned about the potential low prices he will receive this year for his crop.

From Rs. 150 per kg last year to Rs. 100 this year, the price has decreased. Four tonnes of kiwi are in Thapa. When the crop was first introduced to Nepal about twenty years ago, the fruit sold for as much as Rs1,000 per kg.

The output this year bodes well for consumers, but some 3,000 kiwi producers in Dolakha, in the eastern mountain region, are already concerned about the impending price war.

Growers receive a poorer return when prices are lower. Thapa laments, "Every year, the price is falling." Furthermore, kiwi growers are shipping immature fruit to market as competition heats up. "It's giving trouble to everyone."

Thapa is the owner of the 6,800 kiwi plants at Gairashowara Krishi Firm in the Bhimeshwor municipality.

For the past two months, Thapa, who grows two kinds of kiwis, Allison and Hayward, has been researching the market.

In order to cover their Dashain expenses, the majority of farmers have begun harvesting the fruit. On the other hand, bringing kiwis to market before they ripen has led to new issues.

"Farmers have begun sending Hayward and Alison kiwi fruit to market, but it needs to be plucked in December and January," Thapa stated.

Although there are now more kiwi farmers in the district, the crop's annual price is decreasing.

"I began growing kiwis in the hopes of making good profits. However, the price is erratic and the market is saturated.

Here, red and golden kiwi types are grown. The cost of the red fruit is significantly higher. Red kiwis began to mature in July and were first commercially available in September.

A similar story belongs to Lila Bahadur Subedi of Bhimeshwor municipality-3, who brought red kiwis to the market last week.

"Up until last year, the price of red kiwis was fine," he stated. "It suddenly dropped to Rs200 per kg this year."
According to Subedi, farmers suffered a yearly price decrease of Rs100 per kilogram. In the market, red kiwis cost between Rs200 and Rs300 per kg.

Presently, Dolakha cultivates six different varieties of kiwis, including Hayward, Allison, Monty, and Bruno, and produces about 8,000 tonnes of them.

Five years ago, Gita Dahal from Bhimeshwor-6 planted 600 kiwi saplings. The plant has produced fruit for the past two years.

However, she is unsure about where to sell. "Since production has commenced, there is no guaranteed market," stated Dahal.

According to Dahal, the cost per kilogram of green kiwi could have reached Rs150 if they had been graded. She said that two months before they are completely ripe and inviting, farmers are selling kiwi at the market.

Farming kiwis is expensive. It costs Rs. 250,000 to plant 50 plants.

Dahal stated that farmers in Nepal will not have a market unless the government begins to brand and sell Nepali kiwi. Kiwi is not often consumed in New Zealand.

Kiwi that weigh less than 80 grams isn't thought to be of high quality.

Actinidin enzyme and vitamin C-rich kiwis can be grown at elevations between 1,200 and 2,400 meters. The fruit is known for its therapeutic qualities since it aids in the treatment and prevention of a number of illnesses, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and digestive system problems. He has invested two million rupees so far.

With an investment of almost Rs80 million, the government marketed Dolakha as a Kiwi zone.

The local government has not demonstrated any haste to promote and brand the fruits despite the program's success.

The Bhimeshwor municipality has carried out skill development training to create jam, jelly, juice, and other goods from unsold kiwis, according to deputy mayor Kamala Basnet.

Kiwi is being sold by farmers via their network. The market responds favorably to the superior ones. We are pushing growers to use their non-graded kiwi to make other products," stated Basnet.

Although kiwi was first planted in Dolakha by the Swiss during the building of the Lamosanghu-Jiri route, commercial kiwi cultivation in Nepal began in the districts of Ilam and Kavre in 2007.