Nagpur orange season and GI tag: when ambia and mrig bahar fruit reach the market

When is the Nagpur orange season?

There are two seasons a year: ambia bahar fruit from October to December, and mrig bahar fruit from February to March. The Geographical Indication application says ambia fruit is available in November and December; ICAR-CCRI's guideline says to start picking mature fruit in October.

CCRI says ambia harvest should be finished by the first week of December, because after that the trees must be put on water stress for the next bahar. How much fruit reaches the market, and when, depends on the weather and the year. Check today's rates at the mandi.

Ambia or mrig: which is sweeter, which sells higher?

The GI application says ambia fruit is somewhat sour because it ripens in cooler weather. Mrig fruit is sweeter because of clear sunshine, and it arrives at the start of summer when demand is heavy and, in the application's words, the price is naturally higher. That price statement is the application's; check the actual price at the mandi.

The application also says ambia fruit is picked before the January to March hailstorm season, which is why farmers see its yield as more certain. But ambia fruit grows on the tree through the summer, so it needs an assured water supply.

Which variety is Nagpur orange?

Nagpur orange is Nagpur mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). Dr. PDKV recommends it for Vidarbha for its higher yield of superior-quality fruit. Mosambi is a different fruit, a sweet orange; ICAR-CCRI treats it as a separate crop from Nagpur mandarin (Santra).

Dr. PDKV also lists Nagpur seedless among its released varieties. We have not checked its features or where plants are sold; ask a nursery or the KVK.

What is the Nagpur orange GI tag?

GI means Geographical Indication. Under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, a product's name is tied to the area it comes from. The record for Nagpur Orange: application no. 385, filed 3 August 2012, applicant and registered proprietor Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola; goods class 31.

APEDA's list gives certificate no. 215, dated 31 March 2014. Intellectual Property India's own list of registered GIs also places Nagpur Orange, application no. 385, in the registrations of April 2013 to March 2014. We could not open the original GI register page; for the current status check ipindia.gov.in.

What makes Nagpur orange distinct?

The GI application describes a medium-sized, oblate fruit with a yellowish-green to orange skin that peels easily, a thin rind, tender saffron or orange pulp and a good sugar-acid balance. It says the fruit grows in black clay soils (Entisol, Inceptisol, Vertisol) under a hot sub-humid tropical climate.

The production area it lists: the Maharashtra districts of Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Washim, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Jalna, Parbhani, Beed, Ahmednagar and Osmanabad, and Betul, Khandwa, Chhindwara and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. It gives 700 to 1200 fruits a year from a tree of 8 years and above, and says oranges have been grown in Vidarbha for about 250 years.

What does the satellite show at harvest?

A satellite does not tell you whether fruit is ripe or sweet, or how many fruits there are. In the weeks before harvest it can show only whether your orchard's greenness held or fell. Decide harvest by fruit colour and taste. Our weekly message says what changed in the orchard; it does not tell you when to pick.