Jumla, Aug. 14 -- 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.

Agricultural technicians have been visiting orchards with refractometers, handheld devices used to measure the sugar content of fruit. They are checking the size and sweetness of apples and advising farmers on when their crops are ready for harvest.

"Most farmers are proactively calling us to their orchards to test their crop," said Rambhakta Adhikari, head of the Agriculture Development...