Agartala, November 20 (TIWN): Orange festival will be celebrated at JampuiHills on 21st November. The festival will be inaugurated by the Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma. Minister of Rural Development, Naresh Jamatia will honoured the festival as Chief Guest. Among other dignitaries, MLA Niranjan Debbarma, and Keshab Debbarma, Sabhadipati of Sepahijala Zilla Parishad, Fukuruddin Ahmed and the District Magistrate of Sepahijala , Sonal Goel and others are also going to attend the function.

Orange and Tourism Festival is conducted every year at Jampui Hills in Tripura which is the only place where beautiful oranges are cultivated. It is a festival to celebrate the bounty of Nature and delicious oranges of Jampui Hills. 

Orange plantation started in Jampui hill during the early 60s. It began as a fruit plantation for self consumption. Later on, when markets opened the people realized the economic potential of oranges. New gardens were created and within a few years, almost all families started an orange plantation for commercial purpose in their lands. In course of time income from orange plantations drastically changed the economic conditions and standards of living of the people of Jampui. The quality of orange was so good that it bagged the 1st position at fruits exhibition at New Delhi in the mid 80s.
Since then, Jampui became famous as a place where best quality oranges are grown commercially. With this recognition, more tourists became interested in visiting the area. So, for promotion of tourism, the Information and Culture department of Tripura started the unique Orange & Tourism festival celebration every year at Jampui hill. A large number of tourists, both domestic and foreign, participate and enjoy this festival.

However, due to spread of orange plantation diseases like milky dew, dieback, and attack by pests, about two-third of the orange plantations has been wiped out. At present, Orange festival has been discontinued due to decline in orange productions and for other reasons. During this festival season, September to December, the hill is covered with floating clouds and it provides a rare experience for the tourists. The formation of clouds at the bottom of the hill range and its gradual ascendance from the bottom to the top slowly engulfing. Orange and Tourism Festival is celebrated in Tripura with much zeal and fervor whole hill range in its mystic lap is an experience to treasure.