By Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Shillong, Dec 30 : Meghalaya is not only the abode of the clouds but also home to one of the tastiest and best oranges in the country. But all is not well with Khasi Mandarin (Citrus Reticulate), which is currently facing two major problems — one of pests and the other of invasion by cheaper varieties of orange saplings from outside the state.
While fruit-sucking moths (Othresis fullonica) have been destroying oranges and making cultivation economically non-viable in some parts of the state, stem-borers have also started damaging the orange plantations across Meghalaya.
“The Department of Horticulture is taking every step possible to help orange-growers tackle the pest menace through timely intervention, and various pest-control measures are already on,” said C O Rangad, Director, Horticulture.
However, what is more alarming is that several cheaper varieties of oranges — cheaper at the sapling stage — have been making rapid inroads into the state. “The Khasi Mandarin variety of orange is definitely under threat due to the arrival of a large number of saplings from outside the state which are generally cheaper than the original Khasi Mandarin saplings,” said Rangad. Orange saplings grown in Assam are available even at Rs 5 per piece, and ignorant farmers are being generally attracted to these, not knowing that they would not be as productive as Khasi Mandarin is,” he said.
While the northeastern region as a whole is home to a wide variety of citrus species, orange and pineapple cultivation together occupy about 80,000 hectares of land in the seven states. Of them, Meghalaya accounts for about 17,000 hectares, and this, in turn, produces about 40,000 tonnes of oranges per annum.
Scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) centre at Barapani near Shillong have described the eastern Himalaya region as one of the primary gene centres of citrus worldwide and a large variability in the germplasm has been noted in the region. They have also suggested that the northeastern Himalayan region is distinguished by its rich source of diversity of Mandarin orange and may be treated as a centre of the origin for this crop.
With farmers in the state opting for saplings available at cheaper rates, Meghalaya’s premium variety is definitely under threat. “Meghalaya’s homegrown saplings are priced at around Rs 7.50 per piece, and the price difference is causing a major threat to the identity of our own Khasi Mandarin oranges,” said Rangad. It is, however, not suddenly this year that Meghalaya has faced this problem. “A team of scientists from the Nagpur-based National Research Centre for Citrus that visited Meghalaya two years ago was the first to alert us on preserving the exclusiveness of our orange species. It recommended setting up special nurseries for Khasi Mandarin, apart from suggesting other measures to boost production,” Rangad said.
Funds, meanwhile, do not appear to be a problem. The 13th Finance Commission has earmarked Rs 30 crore for horticulture development in the state, and orange being a major produce is likely to get a sizeable portion of this fund for research and development and other measures. The Horticulture Department has decided to establish two planting material hubs — one each in East Khasi Hills and East Garo Hills district — for various types of horticultural products, orange being the most important among them.
The authorities, meanwhile, have started promoting orange festivals across the state to encourage farmers and at the same time popularise Khasi Mandarin orange among the consumers. “I strongly feel there is a need to preserve the Khasi Mandarin since this variety of orange is available only in our state, and orange festivals like the one in Sohra (Cherrapunji) last week can play a major role in boosting the image of this variety,” Rangad said.
Orange festivals, incidentally, are increasingly being held in various states of the Northeast in the recent years.
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