Manipur hosts seventh orange festival

Tameglonglong (Manipur), Dec.25 (ANI): The seventh orange festival was celebrated with enthusiasm and amid heavy security in Manipur's Tameglonglong District recently.

People in large numbers participated in the two-day long festival, defying the boycott call by the Naga Youth Front in the region.

Over 400 orange cultivators, experts, artists and performers along with many senior dignitaries of the State attended the event.

The two-day festival aimed to boost tourism and orange cultivation in the District.

Tamenglong district alone produced 17,311 metric tonnes of oranges against the State's total production of 31,968 metric tonnes in 2008-09. Around 15,000 metric tonnes of oranges were produced last year.

"The economy of this region largely depends on the orange cultivation. And the economy should be revived by the revived by boosting newer techniques which can go a long way in promoting the economy of the region," said K. Panmei, District Collector, Tamenglong District.

Workshops and classes were also organized during the fair to make farmers aware of newer techniques for orange farming.

Many of the farmers were awarded with cash prizes for best orange production.

"Orange festival is good and in my opinion it should be promoted to a greater extent," said Tungding, an orange cultivator.

The main attractions of the event were a fashion show and dance performances by various artists.

Under the banner of Orange Queen Contest 2010, 37 girls from different parts of Manipur took part in the beauty pageant.

After a rigorous selection procedure the winner and runners up were selected who were later felicitated with cash prizes.

"It is an honor to win such a big title. People from across the globe came to participate in the event and seeking the miss crown title is a big thing," said Hoirose Sitlhou, the winner of the Orange Queen contest.

"I want to give a message to the youth to come up and showcase their talent to the world," said Arunpati Devi, a runners up contestant.

The climatic conditions of the Tamenglong are favorable for the orange cultivation. (ANI)