4th Organic Orange Festival Held in Rüsoma Village, Nagaland

Recently, the 4th edition of the two-day Organic Orange Festival was held in Rüsoma Village, Nagaland,  with the intention of encouraging rural farmers to promote organic products and the opportunity for income generation.

About Orange Festival

• The opening ceremony featured live music performances, culinary displays, art exhibitions and various activities centred around the orange theme.
• Importance of festival
• The Rüsoma Orange Festival is not just about festivities and competitions. It has the deeper purpose of promoting organic agriculture and uplifting rural farmers.
•  By giving local farmers a platform to showcase their produce, the festival creates economic opportunities and encourages sustainable livelihoods within the community. 
• This initiative not only helps individual households to increase their income but also contributes to the overall economic resilience of the village.

Rusoma Village as Gardening Village

• Rüsoma Village, also known as the ‘Gardening village’ is located in the Capital of Nagaland, Kohima.
• The villagers of Rüsoma have a total of 14,100 standing fruit-bearing orange trees and 28,700 saplings under plantation. 
• They claim that a premium orange tree can bear about 70 to 80 kilograms. Orange plantations are not confined to orchards but are also grown in kitchen gardens, courtyards, backyards and surroundings of terrace fields. 
• Oranges from Rüsoma are said to have the sweetest taste and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The village economy has grown over the years.
• Rüsoma village is included under the 'Horti Model Village' 2025 to boost horticultural developmental activities in a holistic manner.

Horti Model Village

• The HMV project is a first-of-its-kind initiative by the state horticulture department, launched under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for 2023-2024. 
• The project aims to increase the production of horticultural crops such as kiwi, citrus, banana, pineapple, dragon fruit and Naga Chilli across 16 villages, one in each district.
• Khonoma village in Kohima district became the first Horticulture Model Village (HMV)

Hornbill Festival is the most famous festival in Nagaland, organised by the State Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, Nagaland every year on the state's foundation day (December 1, 1963).

About Nagaland

• Nagaland is a state situated in northeastern India, known for its hilly and mountainous terrain. Although it is one of the smaller states in India, Nagaland has a rich cultural heritage and is home to a diverse range of communities. 
• The state shares its borders with Arunachal Pradesh to the northeast, Manipur to the south and Assam to the west and northwest. To the east lies the country of Myanmar (Burma). 
• The state capital is Kohima, which is located in the southern part of Nagaland.