The Union agriculture minister has said in Parliament in reply to a question from Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista that the Centre has not been informed about any steep drop in orange production in the hills. Bista, the newly elected MP, said on Wednesday that he had asked in Parliament "two sets of questions" related to agriculture and orange production in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. According to figures available with the Union agriculture ministry, oranges were grown on an area of 3,900 hectares and the total yield for the year 2017-18 was 38,000 metric tonnes. Bengal horticulture minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah said the Centre was aware of the fall in orange production. If the Centre wants to know from us, we will send details of the state of orange production in Bengal," Mollah said.

Source: The Telegraph July 24, 2019 20:30 UTC