PARBAT, JANUARY 29 Parbat district exported oranges worth Rs 320 million this year, with Banskharka, the district's major orange-producing pocket area alone contributing Rs 200 million. Other areas including Purnagaun, Raatmata, Shalija and Bhotedanda of Mallaj; Deupur, Bajung and Chhiter of Modi Rural Municipality; and Kurgha, Pangrang, Thanamaula and Limithana of Phalebas Municipality also contributed significantly to the exports. According to the Agricultural Development Office, the district produced 3,421 metric tons of oranges this year, all of which were supplied to markets. Oranges were purchased directly from orchards at prices ranging from Rs 95 to Rs 120 per kg. Office Information Officer Sobita Subedi said orange production in Parbat was good this year and farmers benefited from favorable market prices. Traders from Kathmandu, Narayangadh, Pokhara and other parts of the country reached out to farmers to purchase oranges, facilitated by improved road connectivity in the district. Some farmers even transported their produce to markets as far as Kathmandu and Butwal. Farmers said improved road access has made the transportation and supply of oranges much easier. Farmer Ram Prasad Gautam said that a single locality supplied oranges worth between Rs 10 million and Rs 15 million this season. In recent years, province and local governments have introduced various support initiatives for orange farmers. With access to the Mid-Hill Highway, the Kaligandaki Corridor and an expanded network of rural roads, commercial orange farming has grown steadily in the district. More than 400 farmers are now engaged in orange cultivation across 833 hectares of land, particularly in Jaljala Rural Municipality, Phalebas Municipality and Modi Rural Municipality. Farmers' interest in orange farming has been increasing in recent years.