Once 'orange bowl' of Arunachal, Aalo's orchards suffer as younger generations disinterested in cultivation

Itanagar: Once known as the 'orange bowl' of Arunachal Pradesh, orchards in Aalo in West Siang district are suffering from lack of care as the younger generation has gravitated towards salaried jobs after showing disinterest in cultivation of the fruit.

State Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Tage Taki also attributed the reduction in orange production in the state to decline in water table, especially in winter, besides lack of proper care of the orchards.

Sixty-five-year-old Tojo Ete's orchard of 300 trees in Gune Bane village near Aalo town lies at the mercy of the nature as his children have opted for salaried jobs in state capital Itanagar and elsewhere.

With no helping hands at his disposal, the elderly farmer laments that he is not able to save his orchard which he inherited from his father.

The residents of Aalo grew fruits and vegetables in their backyards as a means of self-sufficiency. "Neither of my sons show interest in orange cultivation... they also don't have time," he said.

"Earlier, my orchard fetched me more than Rs 20,000 annually but with time, the income has dipped massively as I am not in a position to pluck the fruits myself. I sell the fruit to businessmen from Assam at a nominal price. They pluck the oranges directly from my orchard," Ete, the village headman, said.

The story is similar in many orange-growing villages surrounding Aalo town, which is the district headquarters of West Siang.

Other orange growers said lack of manpower to take care of trees was the major reason behind dip in production. Another elderly cultivator, Kade Ete from the same village, said he has shifted to banana cultivation despite owning around 100 orange trees.

"Orange farming requires more manpower for regular maintenance to get a high yield. My advancing age does not permit me to regularly visit the orchard, which is located at a nearby mountain," he said.

Despite challenges, Gamli Loyi, a young farmer from Kabu village, is trying his best to keeping the farming tradition alive by tending to his 1,000-orange tree orchard, which he has inherited from his father.

According to Loyi, the decline in production of oranges was because of age of the trees as no new trees were being planted.

"I am new to the venture but still manage to earn Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh annually from my orchard which produces two truckloads of orange, with an average of 60,000 fruits in each vehicle," he said.

"Oranges from my orchard are sent to Assam. Middlemen from the neighbouring state collect fruits from the trees at a throwaway price," he said.

According to data available with the district horticulture department, locally grown 'mandarin oranges' are cultivated on 1,890 hectares in the district, with a yield of 14,089.95 metric tonnes recorded in 2022-23.

An official at the district horticulture office also blamed Lichen, a fungus, besides lack of proper cleaning of weeds in orange orchards for the dip in production.

"Due to high humidity, growth of weeds is very fast. If regular cleaning is not undertaken, the orange trees get affected, resulting in a dip in productivity," West Siang District Horticulture Officer Kirmar Lona said.

The official said the department imparts training to orange farmers from May to August to control Stem Borer, a pest that affects the growth of citrus.

Stem Borer (Anoplophora nr versteegi) is present in all citrus growing regions but is mainly a problem in poorly managed or neglected orchards.

According to Lona, strategies such as proper site selection, suitable method of planting, soil and nutrient management and proper orchard management could be adopted for rejuvenation of old orchards.

Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Tage Taki recently said in the state assembly that low water table, especially during winter, besides lack of care are the primary reasons behind the dip in orange production in the state.

The department officials always advise the orange farmers to use fertilisers and adequate water in orange plantations besides replacing old plants with new one as re-plantation is the only solution, the minister had said.