GUWAHATI, Feb 13: The Assam government on Tuesday declared ‘Kaji Nemu” (citrus Limon) as the state fruit of Assam.
Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora on Tuesday made the announcement in the state Assembly.
Bora said on February 12 , the State Cabinet decided to accord ‘Kaji Nemu’ (Citrus Limon) as the State Fruit of Assam.
On January 5, 2018, the CRSN Dihing Lemon Citrus Development Committee, in collaboration with Assam Agricultural University, applied for the Geographical indication (GI) tag for ‘Kaji Nemu.’ ‘Kaji Nemu’ was later granted the GI tag in 2019, he added.
He said the GI-tagged ‘Kaji Nemu’ which is nowhere to be found except in Assam, is a symbol of our tradition and self-respect.
Declaring this citrus fruit as the state fruit will make the farmers of the state and everyone associated with the agriculture sector happy and proud, he added.
He mentioned that currently, ‘Kaji Nemu’ is cultivated in districts such as Baksa, Kamrup, Chirang, Morigaon, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Tinsukia, Goalpara.
The ‘Kaji Nemu’ farm spans on 15.90 hectares of agricultural land in Assam. Annually, Assam produces 1.58 lakh metric tonnes of ‘Kaji Nemu,’ he added.
In the last two years, 70,000 ‘Kaji Nemu’ from Assam have been exported to London and some other countries in the Middle East, he added.
“Our Government has decided to declare Kaji Nemu (Citrus Limon) as the State Fruit of Assam. With its unique aroma & antioxidant properties, Assam lemon has enriched our local cuisines.
With today’s announcement, it is set to shine on the global fruit map, boosting self-dependency and production,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X (formerly twitter).
(UNI)