Bengal's Malda district, known for its mangoes, grows oranges in a first

A farmer in West Bengal's Malda district, which is known for its mangoes, has set a record this year by growing oranges.

Dipak Rajbanshi has grown around 1.5 quintal of orange in his garden.

He claimed that the oranges that he grew were tastier than the ones grown in Maharashtra's Nagpur.

He said these oranges are smaller than the Darjeeling variety, and he is still researching whether bigger oranges can be grown on Malda's soil, and only then, he will make efforts for commercial production.

"I have sold some of the oranges to fruit sellers at Rs 30-35 per kg," said Rajbanshi, a resident of Goalpara in Old Malda.

He said he bought around 10 orange plants from a nursery in Nadia district's Ranaghat four years back.

"One of the plants died, but the others grew. The height of the plants at present is around 7 feet. This year, first the flowers started appearing on the trees, and then came the fruits. The oranges began to ripen around mid-November. About 20-25 kg of oranges have grown in each of the trees," he said.

Assistant Director of Agriculture Somojit Majumdar said it is a great initiative.

"We will do everything possible to support the farmer," he said.

Malda Mango Merchant's Association president Ujjwal Saha said, "It's really nice to see some new fruit growing in the district. We will appeal to the district Horticultural Department to extend all kinds of support to him.