Rajgarh Orange

Bharat is the second largest producer of orange in the world contributing a little over 13 percent to the total production. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana are the top – ranking states with the highest area under cultivation and production in the country.

In fact, Madhya Pradesh alone contributes over 32 percent to the total production in the country. The districts of Chhindwara, Agar Malwa, Shajapur and Rajgarh are the important orange clusters in the state.

It is estimated that over 21,000 hectares of land is under orange cultivation in Rajgarh district. Small and marginal farmers have seen an astronomical rise in their income after the state and central government have encouraged them to cultivate native as well as commercially valuable varieties like Nagpur Mandarin, Kinnow, Coorg Mandarin, mosambi and others.

Rajgarh district is blessed with fertile lands and abundant agricultural, horticultural and medicinal produce like soybean, maize, sorghum, chickpea, wheat, pulses, orange, lemon, mango, guava, papaya, aonla, ber, pomegranate, custard apple, coriander, Safed musli, Ashwagandh, Chandrasur and others.

Kinnow grown here has a balanced sweet and sour taste, vibrant colour, heady aroma, large size, good shelf life and high juice content and is rich in phosphorus, Vitamin A, B and C. Rajgarh oranges are sold in Kanpur, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Rajgarh orange is either consumed fresh, in fruit salads and desserts or in the form of juice, jam, squash, jelly, marmalade, wine and syrup. The orange peel exudes essential oils which can be used in the food industry, chemical industry and cosmetic industry. Orange residues and by-products of the fruit is used for cattle feed and vermicompost.

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian