GI Application No.375
GI Applicant : NERAMAC
Sweet, fragrant, juicy oranges fill up the landscape of Dambuk, about 30 km from the district capital Roing of the Lower Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh. Also called the orange bowl of the state, Dambuk is well on its way to international fame for producing some of the best oranges in the country.
Oranges were introduced to Dambuk in the 1970s by a local farmer, Pankeng Pertin. The sub-Himalayan weather proved ideal for the saplings, and soon they were sprouting bright orange fruit. The once-sceptical locals were turned believers once they saw Pertin literally reaping gold from his venture. Since then, Dambuk valley has become home to vast hectares devoted to orange orchards. As a matter of fact, the family of Pertin is still in this business.
Some of the locals set up a store on the ground itself, and the product sells fast and furious. Towards the end of 2022, the Dambuk orange was exported, for the first time, to the markets on the middle-eastern shores of the world. Most of the Khasi-Mandarin species of orange that grows here are exported, as farmers auction their orchards to larger groups/chain-of-stores/companies, who then supply it to the world. The best time to taste the top-quality Dambuk oranges is December, and such is the harvest that entire families pitch in to sell the portion of the harvest not packed for export. December is also when the annual Orange Festival of Adventure and Music takes place, as it has been happening since 2014.