Jumla steps up checks to keep unripe apples off the market

Agricultural technicians are using refractometers to test sugar levels in apples as authorities tighten harvesting and export rules to protect the reputation of the high-altitude district’s prized crop.

As apple orchards across the high-altitude district of Jumla fill with ripening fruit, farmers are coming under pressure from traders eager to buy the season’s crop. But authorities and other local stakeholders have agreed to prevent unripe apples from reaching markets this year in an effort to protect the reputation of Jumla’s apples.