MOMA helps displaced folks sell Tml orange, Kachai lemon Way shown to replace poppy farming

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 5 : The promotional sale of Kachai lemon and Tamenglong orange has been kicked off today with a touch of charity.
While Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) is providing an easy market to the farmers through the promotional sale, the agency is providing the produce at discounted price to people who have been displaced by the current conflict.
The objective is to allow the displaced people in relief camps to earn profits by reselling the produce.
The promotional sale of Ukhrul's Kachai lemon and Tamenglong oranges kicked off at the Organic Outlet of the Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department at Sanjenthong and a relief camp opened at the Wangkhei Girls' High School today.
The outlet at the Wangkhei Girls' High School relief camp is run by inmates.
At the launch of the promotional sale, Horticulture and Soil Conservation Director K Debdutta Sharma said the production of Tamenglong orange has been boosted and Kachai lemon yield is expected to boom this year.
The production of Kachai lemon is also expected to boom this year to 300-400 tonnes, he said.
The Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCDNER), has been promoting organic farming among farmers.
The promotional sale of the organic Kachai lemons and Tamenglong oranges is part of the agency's efforts to improve the market for the produce and enhance the economy of the farmers, he said.
Sharing a success story of the organic mission, Debdutta said a vast tract of poppy fields at  Makuilongdi in Senapati district has been converted into an orange orchard.
"Earlier there were vast poppy plantations in Makuilongdi. The land has now been converted into orchards, which have started producing oranges in large quantities," he said.
The boom in the production of oranges had caused trouble in finding markets. The promotional sale is being organised to provide a market to the farmers, he added.
Even as the Department is expecting a boost in the production of Kachai lemons (300-400 tonnes), the current tension in Manipur may affect sales, he said.
Amid the current crisis, many industries have either paused or shut. There are restrictions in the movement of people and the market has shrunk. These conditions may affect the farmers, he added.
Debdutta, however, said that the promotional sale of the produce will provide relief to the farmers.
The produces, Kachai lemons and Tamenglong oranges, are brought through farmer producer companies for promotional sale by the Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA).
With the intention to help inmates in relief camps earn income, MOMA is providing the produce at discounted price to them so that they can earn some profits when they sell the produce, Debdutta said.
Inmates of the relief camp opened at Wangkhei Girls' High School have appreciated MOMA and Horticulture Department for the "kind gesture".
Chabungbam Ibengang, who had fled Churachandpur on May 3, said she is grateful to MOMA for providing her and others at the relief camp a means for generating some income.
"We fled Churachandpur on May 3. We had no time to pack and even bring money. We have lost everything to the conflict. Kukis have burnt our home to the ground. We have no actual means for earning income," Ibengang said.
Appreciating MOMA for the arrangement that has been made for the displaced people, Ibengang said she has hope that MOMA will continue to provide them assistance.
She urged people to buy Kachai lemons and Tamenglong oranges from the inmates at the relief camp.