Region
Manipur gears up to celebrate orange festival
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Nov. 13 (EMN): Manipur has taken up necessary steps to successfully organise the 17th edition of the state-level orange festival in Tamenglong district headquarters from December 17 to the 19th, officials said.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh recently chaired a meeting which was attended by chairman of the Tourism Corporation of Manipur Limited, Karam Shyam, Water Resource minister Awangbow Newmai and Tamenglong MLA Janghemlung Panmei at the chief minister’s secretariat in Imphal.
Sharing photographs of the meeting in a tweet a couple of days back, Singh wrote, “Chaired a meeting with the organising committee of the Orange Festival.”
“The state has been assisting the farmers in increasing their productivity and providing marketing platforms to enhance their income. The festival is coming back with many exciting events this year,” the chief minister shared in his tweet.
Manipur’s Tamenglong orange, a species of mandarin group and a unique fruit crop found in the state, along with another special variety of chilli called Hathei chilli got Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2020.
Tamenglong orange is found mostly in Tamenglong district which contributes over 50 per cent of the state’s annual production. It is famous especially for its blended sweetness and acidic taste.
Manipur has been celebrating the orange festival every year in the month of December to promote Tamenglong orange or ‘Tamenglong komla’. The last state-level orange festival was held in 2019.