Source: Hueiyen News Service / Daniel Kamei
Tamenglong, November 06 2010:
Tamenglong orange is likely to be in shortage for the upcoming state level orange festival which will be held on 11& 12 December at Tamenglong District HQs.
The reasons are decaying of orange plants, excess rains and hailstorms and unexpected flowering of plants.
The state government has taken steps to tackle the unknown disease.
An exclusive preliminary survey by this reporter, revealed that orange farms in many villages including Wairangba (Duiluan), Phalong (Bhalok), Puching (Khebuching), Luangreng, Kaiphundai, Oinamlong, Sempang, Namkaoluang and surrounding villages of Tamenglong district HQs have decayed and the orange farms have been abandoned.
Orange farmer Namthuidinang Gangmei 72 years said that the leaves of orange plants in started falling and that branches too got dried and the roots were also attacked.
He believes a natural calamity and rodent menace.
With the infection of the unknown disease sizes of oranges have been reduced, and the quantity and quality have also been tremendously reducing this year.
'After parkya (Yongchak) plants died orange plants in my village also started to were die', said Gangdinang Chairman Sempang village Authority.
Isaac Gangmei, chairman Kaiphundai village Authority described told the same trends in his village.
In the meantime, Charles Liangdiyang, President of Orange Growers' Association, Tamenglong talking to this reporter said that oranges may be in shortage for the state level orange festival .
He said, he reaped 30,000 oranges last year but this year he is short of even 1000 .
He said excess rain and hailstorms destroyed large amounts of oranges.
He was not happy with the state government for rejecting the proposal to help orange growers made under MSDP during the tenure of Jacintha Lazarus, IAS as Deputy Commissioner Tamenglong.
The present cost of orange is very high.
Some old women were selling oranges at the cost of Rs 3 per orange, Rs.400 per 100 oranges.