Orange festival held in Tamenglong in Manipur

Tamenglong, Jan 8 (ANI): Tamenglong District referred to as the orange bowl of Manipur recently hosted the 8th Annual Orange Festival.

More than 300 orange cultivators exhibited different varieties of oranges at the two-day festival that attracted large crowds not just from Manipur but also from nearby states.

State Minister for Power and Horticulture, T Phungzathang Tonsing, inaugurated the festival and announced a special package of Rs 6 lakhs for cultivators to boost productivity.

Tamenglong accounts for more than fifty percent of orange production in Manipur and a large part of the district's economy depends on it.

A special package for improving road connectivity was also announced during the festival to improve marketing of the produce.

Several agriculture experts also participated in the festival in an effort to raise productivity by educating the farmers.

"We are here to evaluate the different stalls of orange as a part of competition of orange festival. The main objective to organize this orange festival is to promote orange production, to give awareness on orange cultivation so that farmers can boost up the quality and quantity," R K Dilip Singh, associate professor, Central Agriculture University.

"We have benefited from the festival. We got a chance to earn money and we are happy to receive help from the government that will benefit us in the long run," said Angam, an orange farmer.

Folk dance troupes from different parts of the state also performed during the event.

One of the aims of organizing the festival was also to encourage tourism to Manipur.

The state is home to numerous tribes and cultures and encompasses several picturesque locations.

Another highlight of the festival was the annual orange queen beauty pageant that attracted 27 contestants from different parts of the state.

Mandira Das of Imphal won the contest. Khuraijam Brijeshwori Devi was the first runner up and Nganzaveni Thetan of Dimapur was the second runner up.

The climatic conditions of the Tamenglong are extremely favorable for orange cultivation and the holding of such festivals will help farmers increase production and reach out to a bigger market. (ANI)