Orange experts at a two-day workshop in Kalimpong that ended on Thursday drew up a comprehensive plan to rejuvenate the famous mandarin from Darjeeling whose production has been on the slide for several years.

The Directorate of Cinchona and Other Medicinal Plants (DCOMP) in collaboration with Cluny Women’s College, held the international workshop in which researchers from the US, Iran and the Central Agricultural University, Arunachal Pradesh, joined virtually and their counterparts from Nepal, Bhutan and other research institutes from India along with farmers took part.

“There were thorough discussions on technological interventions and farmers talked about their problems and efforts were made to seek solutions,” said Dr Samuel Rai, the director of the DCOMP.

The experts have drawn up a plan with stress on research, intervention at the orchard level and the need for administrative initiatives.

“Some of the recommendations include starting new orchards using grafted and budded plants, implementing drip irrigation systems, identifying model orchards and arranging training sessions for farmers,” said a source.

Training of orchard owners on diseases, insect or pest control and best practices is also high on the agenda of experts.

Darjeeling is known for its oranges, which although smaller in size than the Nagpur varieties, are considered superior in taste.

However, orange production in the hills has been on a decline over the past decade. It is estimated that the annual production of oranges has come down to 29 metric tonnes from its peak of 52 metric tonnes over the years.

Oranges are grown over an estimated area of 4,150 hectares in the hills.

Hill orchards are facing multiple problems from attacks by insects such as trunk borer, citrus tristeza virus, greening (fungal infections) and fruit flies, apart from poor farming practices.

In an innovative move, the DCOMP had decided to give a cash award for every truck borer a farmer caught last year.

The award for catching a male truck borer was ₹30 per insect and that for female insects ₹50 per catch.

“Farmers collected around 6000 truck borers. We, however, were expecting more,” said Rai.

The directorate has also started an initiative to produce 5 lakh grafted and budded plants.