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The
hard work of a handful enterprising farmers of village
Mainikhapa in Chhindwara district backed by government
support has earned international fame to this
otherwise little known village. The oranges grown in
this village under predominantly tribal block of
Mohakhed have made forays into international market.
The village also enjoys the distinction of having been
selected as a Gokul Gram. Earlier, the village was
known for cultivation of coarse grains and Sitaphal.
By virtue of toil of these farmers now the village is
flooded with oranges.
The
horticulture department provided orange saplings and
other inputs to some tribal farmers of the village in
1997 and guidance in developing orange groves. They
worked against time on this rocky and light soil and
their hard work was rewarded by bumper production.
Gulab
Suryavanshi, a beneficiary farmer said that the
horticulture superintendent and in-charge of Mohkhed
nursery led a group of farmers from the village to
Nagpur to attend a seminar of National Orange Growers
Association. Union Secretary of Agriculture, Director
of the National Citrus Fruit Research Center, Nagpur,
the Commissioner, Fruit Production, Government of
India and other experts attending the seminar
appreciated the quality of the oranges of Mainipakh
saying that these well conformed to export quality
norms. These fruits are juicy with sweet-sour flavour.
Suryavanshi
informed that for last three-four years traders from
as far places as Kolkata and even Nepal have been
visiting the village and paying the demanded price for
these oranges. Pusaram Uike, Balakram Parteti and
other farmers informed that 60 to 80 hectare has been
covered under orange cultivation in the village. They
attribute this success to the cooperation and guidance
of horticulture department’s officials. This year
oranges have been sold at the rate of about Rs. 1500
per thousand in Vidarbh region and the sale is likely
to cross Rs. one crore.
According
to the Assistant Director, Horticulture, Shri B.S.
Navghar, encouraged by the success a target has been
fixed to bring about 100 hectare under Nagpuri orange
cultivation. The endeavour is to further popularize
the oranges of this area and to maximize the profit to
the farmers.
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