Local MLA Khangthuanang Panmei who is also the vice chairman of the Hills Areas Committee Manipur addressing the gathering said that the farmers of the district are growing oranges as a profession inherited from the forefathers. Sadly though, efforts to save these precious plants could not get positive results. So in order to save the orange plants, a fund amounting to Rs 3.6 crore has been earmarked under the multi-sectoral development, he informed.

Brigadier Anil Chauhan of 59 Mountain Brigade, the state’s Horticulture Commissioner Moses Chalai and DIG Range-IV M Sushilkumar were also present as guests of honour during the inaugural session of Tamenglong Organisation Growers Federation in association with the district administration sponsored day long festival with the additional support from the state horticulture and soil conservation department.

Three best orange growers were also honoured during the festival for their highest production of oranges. Laison of Phalong village won the first prize of Rs 35,000 while Khangsiang and Charles Liang of Tamenglong won the second and the third prizes carrying cash awards of Rs 25,000 and 15,000 respectively.

Tamenglong popularly known for its succulent oranges is blessed with many picturesque locations. The orange festival which first began in 2003 was expected to be a curtain raiser of the campaign to popularize tourist spots in the district such as the mystical Tharon cave, the magnificent Barak waterfalls, the enchanting Bunning meadows and its exotic flowers, and the Zeilad Lake which hosts migratory birds every year. However the limited number of days of the festival disappointed many interested visitors who wished to explore the district. On one hand, most of the farmers expressed the need to extend the festival by a few more days in the future in the interest of visitors particularly the buyers.

As almost every household in the Tamenglong villages grow oranges as it suits the soil, many farmers likewise depend on this cash crop as a source of their livelihood. Though the soil is suitable for orange plantation and oranges do grow in huge quantities, the sad fact is that there are no processing plants for these fruits in the entire district, echoe the villagers of the district.

A few years back, over 1.5 lakh orange plants were grown in Tamenglong’s 50 different villages which had a production record of as many as 52,41,850 oranges, according to the Horticulture Development Society, Tamenglong (Host) sources. Tamenglong contributes to over 50 per cent of the state’s annual total orange production of nearly 10,000 to 11,000 metric tons as around 3,838 hectares of land are under orange cultivation in Manipur. It may be recalled that the first and the second Orange Festivals had generated a lot of awareness about the oranges and other products of the district not only among the people of the state but also the people from other states and also abroad as the festival offers an opportunity for both the growers and fruit processing industries to clinch deals.

Sobhapati Samom