More than 200 farmers will take part in the fourth annual lemon festival in Ukhrul with the hope of attracting more buyers. However, their hopes could be dashed if the Manipur government does not make any attempts to attract buyers from outside the state.

Ukhrul’s lemon festival is held annually and this year’s two-day festival will begin at Kachai, known as the “lemon bowl of Manipur,” on Friday. The organisers have decided to increase the number of stalls from last year’s 165 to 200. Six farmers from Senapati district have been invited. Farmers from 10 villages will compete in the festival.

Kachai, about 50 km from the Ukhrul district headquarters, is known for this citrus fruit. About 350 households grow lemon and the annual output is estimated to be about 50 metric tonnes. However, owing to the lack of marketing facilities, lemon farming is still a secondary source of income for the farmers.

“The main objective of the festival is to highlight lemon production of the area and also search for marketing avenues. It will also show that the economy could be strengthened by lemon production,” organising secretary V. Tuime Lolly said.

However, only a few small- time traders from Imphal are expected at the festival as no companies or big-time buyers from outside the state were invited. “We did not receive any instruction from the government for inviting fruit juice companies or traders from outside the state,” an official of the state horticulture department said.

The organisers are not happy with the lackadaisical attitude of the state government. Last year, the government had sanctioned Rs 3 lakh for the festival. This time, only Rs 2 lakh has been sanctioned.

The winner will receive Rs 10,000, while the first and second runners-up will be paid Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively. A consolation prize of Rs 500 each will be given to each of the participants. A team of experts from the Imphal unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research will form the panel of judges.