Mumbai, July 16 (IANS) A review meeting on the Orange Cluster initiative was held under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal to increase the income of orange growers in Vidarbha and strengthen the orange value chain.

The meeting reviewed the proposed framework for the Orange Cluster. Discussions focused on measures including the availability of disease‑free planting material, development of high‑technology nurseries, rejuvenation of old orchards, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, micro‑irrigation, post‑harvest management, processing industries, value addition, branding, and creating direct linkages with domestic as well as export markets.

A detailed review was also conducted on all aspects of the orange crop, including processing, value addition, branding and export potential.

The meeting was attended by Agriculture Department Secretary Parimal Singh, Deputy Secretary Shrikant Andge, MLAs Charansing Thakur, Sumit Wankhede and Umesh Yawalkar, Ashish Deshmukh, the Agriculture Commissioner, the Director of Agriculture, the Vice‑Chancellor of Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, and other senior officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal said the Orange Cluster is not merely a development project but an ambitious initiative aimed at increasing the income of orange growers in Vidarbha while giving Maharashtra’s oranges a new identity in the global market.

He directed all departments to coordinate to ensure effective implementation.

He said an integrated approach should be adopted to strengthen the entire value chain through the cluster model to address challenges such as climate change, disease outbreaks, shortage of quality planting material, and post‑harvest management issues in the orange‑growing belt of Nagpur, Amravati and Wardha.

He also directed that a comprehensive inspection of nurseries in the region be undertaken and that workshops for nursery operators be organised on a priority basis.

The Minister further directed that regular guidance workshops for orange growers be organised under the Citrus Fruit Improvement Centre.

He instructed officials to conduct a detailed review of the Centre’s overall functioning and initiate necessary action to increase the participation of public representatives by including two MLAs on the Centre’s committee, one from the concerned constituency and another from an adjoining constituency.

He also instructed agricultural universities to regularly issue practical advisories on modern technologies, disease management, water and nutrient management, orchard rejuvenation and quality production to ensure that farmers receive updated information.

He directed that these recommendations be widely disseminated among farmers through effective awareness and outreach initiatives.

–IANS

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