Naming all oranges as Tamenglong Orange : Need to do more than just the name
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 11, 2014 -

Naming all oranges produced in Manipur as Tamenglong Orange.

Chief Minister O Ibobi may have had his best intention while announcing this, but it would do well for the Government to keep in mind that this is not election year.

Moreover the crowds that had gathered at the annual Orange Festival at Tamenglong district headquarters had not turned up for an election party but to celebrate nature’s bounty, which in this case is the productivity of the district in oranges.

An indication that the State Government had failed to sit down, deliberate and think over how to encourage the orange growers of Tamenglong district. That Tamenglong is famed for its oranges is a fact that has stood the test of time for decades.

It is not something new and Mr O Ibobi in his 15th year as the Chief Minister of Manipur ought to know this. Hence the feeling that the announcement that all oranges produced in Manipur will be known as Tamenglong Orange seemed more like a low brow stunt.

The announcement of the Chief Minister may have gone down well with certain people, but in the long run it does not guarantee anything for the orange farmers of Tamenglong district.

The Chief Minister did talk about the poor power supply and hence the handicap in setting up cold storage facilities.

A fact which no one can deny, but it would have been that much more positive if the Chief Minister had said something about improving the connectivity of Tamenglong with other parts of the State.

It still takes hours to reach the district headquarters from Imphal and the problems that orange farmers have to face in transporting their produce to other parts of Manipur can only be imagined.

Why has no thought been given on how to improve road connectivity ? It is something which is not beyond the State Government.

The decision of the State Government in naming all oranges produced in Manipur as Tamenglong Orange may also dilute the unique identity of the oranges grown in Tamenglong.

Why was no thought given to this, before the grand announcement was made ? Makes no sense to identify all the oranges produced in Manipur with Tamenglong.

Apart from diluting the identity of Tamenglong Orange such a move may also dampen the spirit of orange growers in other parts of the State.

If this is the case with orange then there may well come a time when a similar demand is made to identify all lemons or limes produced in Manipur with Kachai Lime or Lemon.

Such a trend cannot be dismissed in the case of chillies too.

What would be the case if Sirarakhong village in Ukhrul district, famed for its green chillies, demand that all chillies produced in Manipur be identified as Sirarakhong chilly ?

The State Government need to think more and apply its mind before coming out with such a bombastic announcement.

Naming all oranges in Manipur as Tamenglong Orange is not the way to encourage orange farmers in Tamenglong.

Apart from diluting its unique identity, naming all oranges produced in Manipur as Tamenglong Orange will only expose the short sightedness and unwillingness of the Government to actually help the orange farmers in Tamenglong district.