Khasi Mandarin production declines sharply in state, Kamrup worst affected
The Dieback’ disease is taking its toll on the plants in the absence of any preventive steps.
The fruit is renowned for its distinct sweet and tangy taste, high nutritional value, and vibrant golden colour.
Amingaon, May 18: The production of ‘Khasi mandarin’, one of the best varieties of oranges in India, is declining rapidly in the State. The situation is severe in Kamrup district with rapid shrinkage of areas under orange cultivation as the ‘Dieback’ disease is taking its toll on the plants in the absence of any preventive steps.
The fruit is renowned for its distinct sweet and tangy taste, high nutritional value, and vibrant golden colour.
Speaking to this correspondent, Dr Samiran Pathak, Principal Scientist, Horticulture Research Station, AAU, Kahikuchi, said that the production of this unique variety of orange is declining in Assam and the picture is particularly severe in Kamrup district.
Pathak said that the ‘Dieback’ disease afflicts the Khasi mandarin plants severely. There are several factors responsible for the breaking out of the disease like poor management of the garden, multiple infection/infestation of diseases and pests, nutrient deficiency, old gardens etc. Dr Pathak insisted that there is a pressing need for restoration of the orchards possessing this variety of orange, which is in a class of its own when it comes to taste.
“The sweet-acidic taste of this variety of orange is unique and is nowhere to be found in India,” Dr Pathak mentioned. “Growers have to undertake some drastic measures to give a new lease of life to the ‘Khasi mandarin’ gardens,” he added.
Khireshwar Medhi, a well-known orange farmer of Bhutargari under Bongaon Circle in Kamrup district once owned an orchard of the ‘Khasi mandarin’ variety of oranges encompassing an area of over eight bighas, but his orchard is now down to a garden of two bighas. “After the complete collapse of my garden due to the disease, I replanted the crop in a two bigha plot with new plants,” Medhi told this correspondent, adding that the rot started setting in way back in 2013-14.
Palash Das, another orange grower has switched over to areca nut farming in his three-bigha plot after his orange orchard got wiped out. The farmers said that orange farming has got totally wiped out from the over 60 hectares of plantations in their village. Reminiscing his better days, Khireshwar said, “A single plant of my garden produced more than 2000 oranges, and I used to supply over 1.5 lakh oranges in a month to Silchar.” After the debacle, his annual profit from farming has plummeted. Pertinently, most of the farmers who have been on the receiving end have switched over to areca nut and banana farming. However, they are apprehensive of the future of areca nut also, as the latter’s market fluctuates unlike that of the orange.
Girindra Kumar Sarmah, Assistant Horticulturist, Kamrup informed that the area of orange cultivation has plummeted from 500-600 hectares to about 200 hectares in Kamrup district. According to Jyoti Thakuria, a senior Agriculture development officer, management of the orchards matters the most, the absence of which is conspicuous in most of the gardens.
Optimistic of a return of their better days, a group of growers have appealed to the government to set up a research-oriented model village in the orange-growing areas as an incentive to the farmers. They have pinned their hopes on the Horticulture Research Station and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kamrup to take urgent steps to restore the production of orange – one of the major horticultural crops.
It is pertinent to mention that the Centre of Excellence (Citrus) set up in 2016 in Baminugaon to provide quality seedlings of citrus and to conserve all varieties of citrus fruits in nearby areas, has failed to rise to the occasion due to lack of proper utilization and manpower crisis.
Set up on a sprawling area of 88 bighas, the nursery of the centre wears a deserted and sickly look. Sources said that the centre can provide quality orange seedlings to the growers from the mother plants.
According to Dr Samiran Pathak, proper management of the existing gardens, re-plantation of old gardens with disease free planting materials is a must. “Growers must take steps like proper treatment of diseases and extermination of pests from old gardens, proper nutrition and irrigation management of the existing gardens etc.,” the senior scientist said.
Underscoring the pressing need of pruning and nutrient management to reduce infestation, Pathak said that after harvesting, the plants should be pruned, and this should be followed by application of copper fungicide at the cut mark to repel pests.
Pathak added that replacement of 50-year-old plants with new disease-free plants is the most effective method and that treatment and management of the plant is affordable.
Sources at KVK, Kamrup said that they have conducted awareness-cum-training programmes on ‘Good Agricultural Practices in Khasi mandarin cultivation and rejuvenation’ at the fields of the farmers in the district.
Besides, the KVK has conducted demonstrations under All India Coordinated Research Project on Fruits (AICRP-Fruit Crops) in collaboration with AAU-Citrus and Plantation Crop Research Station, Tinsukia to address the issue of decrease in citrus production.
Dr Dorodi Priyom Duarah, subject matter specialist (Horticulture) KVK Kamrup said that they have already adopted a Khasi mandarin village of Umsur to provide technical guidance and to push the farmers to adopt scientific cultivation practices and precautionary measures against the decline in the fruit’s production.
By
Kishore Talukdar