Guwahati:Assam government has declared 'Kaji Nemu', an indigenous and special variety of lemon as the State Fruit.
A decision in this regard was taken at the state cabinet meeting on February 12 and state agriculture minister Atul Bora announced this during the budget session of the Assam Assembly on Tuesday.
"Kaji Nemu of Assam, which is known for its specially acclaimed medicinal value in the national and international markets, has become the State Fruit of Assam. I am very proud to announce this decision in the august house of the Assam Legislative Assembly today. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday," Bora told in Assembly.
He further said, "The (Geographical Indication) GI-tagged lemon that is not found anywhere except Assam is a symbol of our individuality and self-respect just like the prominent 'Assamese Gamocha'. The decision of designating this citrus fruit as the State Fruit will surely make the farmers and all those associated with the agricultural sector happy and proud. I sincerely thank the Chief Minister for this visionary and historic step"
According to Bora, this step will increase Kaji Nemu's importance among buyers and entrepreneurs of the country and abroad and will also greatly benefit the state from the commercial aspect along with setting up processed agro-industries.
The agriculture minister informed that on January 5, 2018, the CRS Na-Dihing Lemon development committee had applied in collaboration with the Assam Agricultural University seeking geographical recognition for Kaji Nemu, which has the scientific name of Citrus limon. The fruit bagged the GI tag in 2019.
"According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, this Kaji Nemu was first seen in Byrnihat near Assam-Meghalaya border. At present, Kaji Nemu is cultivated in the districts of Baksa, Kamrup, Chirang, Morigaon, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Tinsukia, Goalpara and others of Assam. Kaji Nemu cultivation covers 15.90 hectares of agricultural land in Assam," he added.
Assam produces 1.58 lakh metric tonnes of Kaji Nemu annually. In the last two years, 70,000 Kaji Nemus from Assam have been exported to countries in Europe and the Middle East. There is a lot of scope for expansion of the cultivation of this variety of lemon in Assam.
Kaji Nemu is a special type of lemon with a unique smell and its size is relatively larger than other lemons. Also, it has a lot of medicinal properties. The Kaji Nemu plants usually survive for around 20 to 25 years.
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