‘Orange bowl’ of Arunachal, Aalo’s orchards suffer as youth not keen on farming

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 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. pti