A lemon village - Arora

First tried out in Japan and Thailand, a concept village is coming up in a sleepy hamlet in Assam's Nalbari district where thousands of lemon trees will be planted to improve the local economy.

Under the concept of 'one village one product', the North East Financial Development Corporation along with a leading NGO is setting up a  'lemon village' at Arora.

The institution's chairman-cum-managing director, Kashi Nath Hazarika, said the concept which has been successful in Japan and Thailand, is being tried out for the first time in the Northeast with planting of nearly 10,000 lemon saplings.

Hazarika says the yield, which will find a ready market among local population, will generate an annual average revenue of Rs 10 lakh per year. He exudes confidence that the climatic condition was suitable for growth of lemon and the village will be able to generate its own market for the product.

Hazarika during the recent launching of the scheme asked the young generation to set up plants for processing lemons from 2012 onwards after mass-scale production begins.

The NEDFI has facilitated one-time funding for initial requirements of manure and insecticides and has engaged a technician as mentor for the project.

Hazarika hopes in the third year around 10,000 lemon plants will be grown in the village which will yeild at least 10 lakh lemons. "The availability of such a large quantity of lemons from a single village will not only help the farmers, but also develop the market," he said.