Where have all the oranges gone

It is known as the land of  coffee, oranges, honey and Cauvery. It is also known for its fascinating landscape comprising of hills, valleys, peaks and misty mountains.

Known as the Scotland of the South, it has always been a hit with tourists. The coffee grown here is natural and, hence, it has immense demand.

Till a few years ago, the oranges grown here were so famous that came to be called as Coorg Kittale or oranges of Coorg. The district of Coorg has attained fame as one of the best producers of honey, oranges and coffee.

Unfortunately, the oranges seem to have almost vanished from the market, leaving consumers to taste the Nagpur variety of oranges. The honey too seems to have witnessed difficult times. As far as coffee goes, good times are smiling and coffee growers are happy to have passed over a difficult phase when process crashed and coffee cultivation became unviable.

Coming back to Coorg oranges, they were planted amidst rolling coffee estates and spices gardens. The unique soil, climate and natural growth gave a distinct native touch to the Coorg orange.

Coorg thus became India’s natural ecosystem of agricultural and horticultural crops.

Orange cultivation occupied a pride of place as an intercrop in coffee plantations. Oranges also helped coffee growers by insulating them from volatile coffee prices.

The oranges grown in Coorg is called Mandarin and this is one of the four major varieties of citrus fruits grown in India. The other three are Pummelos and their hybrids, Citrons and citron lemons and rough lemons of various types. Some of the Citrus species indigenous to India include Citrus indica, latipes, megaloxycarpa,

Karma, jambhiri, aurantifolia, aurantinum, medica, sinensis,  madurensis and Citrus limonia.

Mandarin oranges.

Mandarin is the most important citrus fruit in India and it is widely cultivated as Nagpur santra, Assam Sohniamtara and Coorg orange.

The mandarin oranges of Coorg were probably introduced from Central India about 300 years ago. Coorg orange is also sometimes referred to as loose jacket orange, Khasi (in the north east), Rangtra, Kamala, Sikkim and Yemmedoddi. All these are strains of mandarin and each of them are known for being  juicy. They also have a unique taste and have a rich flavour or quality.

Coorg orange has always commanded a premium in the market because they almost always have an attractive golden tinge (colour) and they are easy to peel. They also have lesser number of seeds than other varieties of orange and they have a blend of acid and sweetness.

Unfortunately, diseases have taken a heavy toll of Coorg oranges and it almost vanished from the region. Intervenial chlorosis, mottling, die-back of young shoots, general chlorosis, unfruitfulness and pre mature death of the plants all affected oranges. Many of these symptoms are classified as Frenching, Die back and Citrus decline.

The citrus experiment station at Gonicoppal and the Chetthali Research Station (Central Horticultural Experiment Station ) took up extensive work on diseased farms and they have done commendable research on citrus die back

Coorg orange witnessed a drastic decline in acreage from about 24,000 hectares under cultivation in the 1960s to 1,400 hectares today. Each plant that once yielded a minimum of 50 kg to 60 kg of oranges now produces only about 10 kg.

Today, Coorg is on the way of regaining the glory of becoming  the orange basket of the State. Slowly but surely, the oranges of Coorg are making a comeback to the market.

Coorg accounts for a substantial majority in the cultivation and  production of oranges. The production of oranges in Karnataka in 2012-13 stood at 50000 tonnes as against 45,000 tonnes in 2011-12.

The State has reported fairly good yields from the taluks of Siddapura and Thithimani in Coorg. At present, 10,000 hectares are under orange cultivation in Karnataka.  

Once regarded as the pride of Kodagu, they did face tough times and almost became extinct. However, Mandarin-the high-yielding and fine-flavoured pulp fruit- that has been an inter-crop among coffee plantations for almost two centuries is making a recovery thanks to the effort of the Department of Horticulture. The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry granted a GI certificate for the crop and this has given the much needed boost to India’s Mandarin.

Coffee, honey and Coorg

It is a very small hamlet nestled close to one of the tallest peak in Karnataka. It houses a temple that was built more than three centuries ago and this temple is one of the most visited structures in the region. However, it is not these things that the hamlet is known for. It is in the news for becoming the largest producer of honey in South East Asia.

This renown is not for just producing large quantities of honey. It is also for producing the sweetest honey. You do not agree. Taste it and write back.

Surrounded by coffee and cardamom plantations, the hamlet offers an exciting insight into the wildlife-Pangolin, barking deer, Flying Squrriel and so many others. As if this is not enough, there are a whole range of  birds that put out a superb exercise in flying and nesting.

Where else but in Karnataka would you get such a heady combination. A picturesque hamlet, surrounded by some of the best honey producing estates, wildlife, peaks and an ancient temple that draws people by the thousands and a legend in itself.

This is Kakkabe in Coorg or Kodagu, which as mentioned earlier, is a small village on the foothills of the Western Ghats. Kakkabe has in recent years emerged as the honey capital of India and its honey tastes so sweet that I wonder if any other variety can rival it.

Unfortunately, in the last few years, honey production in Coorg has taken a beating with bees being afflicted by the deadly Thai sac brood disease. The disease has been killing the bees, including the Queen bee.  It takes approximately 60,000 bees to travel  55,000 miles and visit over two million flowers for nectar enough to make just one pound of honey: Wow.

Surrounded by dense forests of the Western Ghats, Kakkabe is at the base of the Thadiyendmol Hill, which is the second highest peak in Coorg. It is also the place where you can visit the Nalknad Palace, the erstwhile palace of the rulers of Coorg.

The forests here are home to a variety of flora and fauna. The many estates ringing the village add a dash of colour to the already surreal surroundings. More than anything the place is home to several communities all of whom live in perfect harmony-Brahmins, Christians, Gowdas and Jains and many others.

Even today, the place resembles an English rural side and it is still not yet touched by urbanization. The Thadiyante Mol is just a little distance away from Nalknad Palace, built in 1794. It is well-known for its superb painting and carvings.

The peak rises to an altitude of 5,730 feet above the sea level. It is  suited for adventure trekking and mountaineering. On a clear day, you can see the shimmering Arabian Sea.
The moment you drive into the valley, the scent of nectar, pepper and cardamom wafts the air. Once home to the famous Coorg oranges, they are today very few in number and grown occasionally. No pollution, no vehicles, no big companies and no urbanization.

All these and more entice you to the little bit of Scotland in Coorg.

Do not forget to visit the Padi Igguthappa temple. Igguthappa is perhaps the most revered God in this land of honey, coffee and pepper.

The temple was built by Lingarajendra in the 18th century.  

The cardamom and coffee are of the best varieties. Of honey, there is no rival. By the way, you can get to see orchids too.

Getting to Kakkabe is just as easy as it comes. It is only 38 kilometers from Madikeri. It is near Virajpet. The nearest airport is either Mysore or Mangalore. The approach too is either from Mangalore or Mysore which is also the nearest rail head.  

The Habanero, a butterfly and a moth

Where in the world would you find the second hottest chilly grown and of course to be tasted, India’s largest butterfly and the moth with the largest wingspan in the world. Of course, all of this in one place and in our Karnataka.

All this and more can be found in Coorg, Karnataka.

Head to Madikeri, the headquarters of Coorg district for a taste of the world’s second hottest chilly. By the way, the hottest chilly in the world is way up in the north east and this post had earlier carried an article on it.

Madikeri is where you can taste Habanero which is classified as the world’s second hottest chilli. Here you can easily spot the Southern Birdwing, which has the distinction of being India’s largest butterfly.

Besides, these two, look out for the Atlas moth which has the world’s largest wingspan.

The Habanero is a variety of  Chilly pepper  native to south America. They are red, orange and even white, brown and pink in colour. Unripe Habaneros are green and they color only when they nature.

These chillies are intensely hot and  rated 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville scale-which is the measurement of a chilly’s hot content.

The Southern Birdwing (Troides minos) is a large and striking Swallo tail butterfly generally found in south India. It has a wing span of 140 mm to 190 mm, making it the largest butterfly found in southern India and one of the largest in India.

It was earlier considered a subspecies of the Common Birdwing but it is now distinguished as a separate species. Today, the Southern Birdwing  is more common in the Western Ghats. It is so called because its wing span is bigger than wings of smaller birds. It is much sought after by collectors and is a highlight of many butterfly-tours in the Western Ghats. It is generally active during early morning hours. It later flies as high as 30 feet to 40 feet and descends in the evening to feed again.

It covers very large distances before settling down for nectar-its food.

 The Atlas moth-Attacus atlas- is the largest of its kind  in terms of wing surface area. It is a Saturniid moth generally found in the tropical and subtropical forests of south and South East Asia.

Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are larger and heavier than the males.

In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity-the silk is known as fagara and it is secreted as a broken strand.  They have greater durability.

Apart from all these, Coorg also produces the best honey and best coffee. Care to try it. Head for Coorg or Kodagu. Fly from either Bangalore or Mangalore or take the road trip. I guarantee you that you will come back again and gain to the land of honey, coffee and once upon a time oranges. And do not forget spices and hills, Karnataka’s highest peak, the origin of Cauvery and ……the list goes on and on. Why not go on and explore.