Orange is one of the most grown fruits after banana and apple. Brazil leads the production of oranges with 24% share of the world, followed by US and India. In India, the important commercial orange variety are mandarin (40%), sweet orange (23%) and acid lime (23%). Oranges are mostly grown in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Orissa, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
Uses of Oranges:
- This fruit is rich in vitamins like C, A, B and phosphorus.
- Used in production of juice, squash, syrup and jam.
- Oranges are main source of peel oil, citric acid.
- Oranges are also used in production of cosmetics.
Orange Cultivation in Rajasthan
In India, Rajasthan occupies Sixth place in production of orange. The main variety of Oranges cultivated in Rajasthan is ‘Mandarin or Nagpur orange‘ with Kota division is contributing 98% of the State produce of this variety. The suitable rainfall and climatic condition allows higher productivity and Jhalawar in Kota region is known as “Nagpur of Rajasthan”.
Rajasthan Government support for orange cultivation:
- Development of Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Citrus Fruits at Nanta near Kota.
- Development of 24 varieties including Clementine, Michale Daisy, Kinnow, Nagpur Mandarin, Nagpur Seedless, and Jaffa among others.
- Introduction of better technology like mulch, drip and ridge bed system for irrigation and promoting mechanization in orchard operations.
- The horticulture department of Rajasthan Government is mulling a project to market orange from the state under the brand, ‘Raj Santra‘.
