Local To Global ‘Kaji Nemu’: ‘Kaji Nemu’ tells the success story of change in Assam’s fruit industry

Assam, with its rich agricultural heritage has been home to many rare and valuable fruits. One of these is Assam Lemon, locally known as ‘Kaji Nemu’. This lemon has been an important part of Assam state culture due to its distinctive aroma, taste and medicinal properties. However, its production and marketing faced many difficulties due to challenges such as pest infestation, low yield and over-reliance on chemical pesticides.

Challenges in Cultivation of Kaji Nemu

Farmers cultivating Kaji Nemu faced a variety of pests and diseases, including problems such as trunk borer, fruit-sucking moths, aphids and citrus canker. In addition, the lack of awareness of eco-friendly pest management techniques among farmers was further aggravating the problem. All these factors were affecting the production and quality of Assam lemon, which also affected the income of farmers.

IPM Strategy: A Transformative Initiative

In 2017, to address these challenges and promote Assam lemon cultivation, the National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management (NRIIPM) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched a landmark initiative in collaboration with the Citrus Research Station (AAU-CRS) of Assam Agricultural University.

This program was run under the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) of the Government of India, aimed to introduce tribal farmers to eco-friendly Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques.

The project was initiated from Dirak Methong village in Tinsukia district of Assam, a flood prone area and spread over an area of ​​about 418 hectares.

The first phase of the project covered 34 beneficiary families who cultivated Kazi Nemu in 12.7 hectares. This was followed by the second phase in which 40 more families were added, increasing the total cultivation area by 19.6 hectares.

Technical interventions and community participation

ICAR-NRIIPM and AAU-CRS developed the IPM model in collaboration with farmers. Under this scheme-

1. Farmers were introduced to high yielding varieties (HYV).

2. Emphasis was laid on adopting organic pest control techniques.

3. Farmers were trained in modern farming techniques.

The most important part of this initiative was the establishment of a cooperative society ‘CRS-Na Dihing Nemu Tenga Unnayan Samiti’. The objective of this committee was to connect farmers directly to the market by eliminating middlemen and improve their income.

The committee also initiated the process of obtaining Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Assam lemon, which promoted international recognition of this fruit.

Impact and success of the project

The impact of this initiative led to a significant increase in the cultivation of Kaji Nemu (‘Kaji Nemu’). While earlier the total cultivation area was 33 hectares, now it has increased to 107 hectares.

1. Two to three times increase was observed in the income of farmers.

2. The average productivity increased from 4,421 kg per hectare to 7,614 kg per hectare.

3. The benefit-cost ratio of the initiative was 3.4:1, from which its economic impact can be clearly understood.

Another important achievement was that Assam lemon nursery was established on a commercial scale under the cooperative society. This gave farmers an opportunity to sell healthy planting material, thereby adding to their additional income.

Dirak Maithong: A Model Village

Dirak Maithong village is now known as the ‘IPM Village’. The village has become a model for sustainable citrus farming, and continues to be a source of inspiration for other farmers. The success of this project not only took Assam lemon to new heights in the Indian market, but also brought it recognition in international markets like Singapore, Dubai and the United Kingdom.

Kazi Nemu: From Local to Global Recognition

Today, ‘Kaji Nemu’ is not just a local fruit but has become the face of Assam’s agricultural culture and innovation. The project reflects the power of eco-friendly techniques, collective collaboration and farmer empowerment. The combined efforts of ICAR, AAU-CRS and farmers have made Assam lemon an important product on the global platform.