in fact meghalaya produces around 40000 metric tonnes of oranges annually which is just five per cent of the national produce of about 7 60000 metric tones the orange peels here are thinner and not like shells on oranges from other parts of the country he said even as he rued that the soughtafter cherrapunjee honey is yet to be gainfully marketed outside meghalaya the polo grounds here turned into a virtual orchard on thursday as the 3rd orange festival began on thursday shillong the farmers at the fair venue interacted with scientists from the indian council of agricultural research and indian citrus research he added that scientists feel oranges of the khasijaintia hills are the best in the world but there has been no proper certification to substantiate this as yet oranges known as sohniamtra in khasi could well be considered the state fruit of meghalaya with several orchards and kitchen gardens boasting of producing the fruit in abundance our oranges called ms sohtun are tastier said a girl at a stall exhibiting exotic oranges from umblai village near cherrapunjee famous for orange honey we want the orangegrowers to get exposure and are also thinking of making orangebased exotic products added warjri in the scotland of the east its not only liquor which allures one and all we have been organizing this festival for capacity building and empowerment of farmers said raphael warjri a renowned artist and one of the organizers the smell of ripe oranges can also be intoxicating the festival had on display the khasi orange from wahkien which has been certified as the best in india by the union ministry of horticulture along with the famous sohra orange from nongsteng and mawphu orange trees are slowly dying due to pest infection over the years he stressed on the usage of orange peels which have medicinal properties and are also used for producing perfumes the festival will not only promote cultivation of the indigenous fruit but also boost tourism in the state said a volunteer orange growers in the state must adopt modern technology to increase the yield said an agriculture scientist the scent of citrus filled the air as people peeled off orange skins to savour the taste of homegrown oranges considered one of the best in the country he said the juice content in oranges grown in sohra cherrapunjee is more than those found anywhere else she added we got the first prize due to this farmers are gradually cultivating other fruits said an official at the festival concerned with the decline in orange cultivation in the state especially in and around cherrapunjee orangegrowers got together three years ago to organize the unique festival under the banner of synjuk development for self help group in coordination with the riti academy of visual arts under the aegis of the horticulture and tourism departments of the state government