Signaling a decisive shift in the trajectory of Vidarbha’s citrus sector, Union Minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari on Monday urged the region’s orange farmers to unite under large-scale Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) to unlock a new era of value-added growth. Speaking at Agrovision, the four-day annual agricultural conclave in Nagpur, Gadkari framed the “orange economy” as one of Vidarbha’s untapped engines of rural transformation.

Gadkari announced that institutions in Nagpur will take the lead in creating a comprehensive databank of orange farmers, enabling them to converge on a unified platform for processing, branding, and global marketing. “Orange growers must join hands to form FPCs in significant numbers,” he said. “We must scale the production of value-added orange products—juice, sweets, powder, even cosmetics—and ensure they are packaged locally, branded professionally, and positioned for the world market.”

Unlocking Citrus Value Addition

Long celebrated for their deep colour, rich flavour, and exceptional juice content, Nagpur oranges remain one of India’s most recognisable horticultural assets. Yet, Gadkari stressed that global competitiveness today hinges not on raw produce but on value chains that extend well beyond the orchard.

He called for a concerted push to increase per-acre productivity, maintain stringent quality standards, and embed sustainable cultivation practices across the citrus belt. Farmers with new business models or processing ideas, he assured, will receive full government support. The FPC-led model of decentralised processing, he added, is essential for lifting farmer incomes and strengthening Vidarbha’s citrus footprint in domestic and international markets.

AI as the Next Frontier

Earlier in the day, during a panel on Artificial Intelligence in agriculture, Gadkari urged farmers to adopt emerging technologies with confidence. In a candid admission, he revealed that he uses AI tools on his own farm to enhance productivity, efficiency, and crop management.

In a major institutional development at Agrovision, the Agrovision Foundation—an NGO supported by Gadkari—signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Baramati-based Agriculture Development Trust (ADT), founded by NCP leader Sharad Pawar. The collaboration aims to accelerate knowledge-sharing and expand the reach of AI-driven agricultural practices, signalling a new era of cross-institutional cooperation in India’s farm innovation landscape.

With Vidarbha’s orange sector poised at the intersection of tradition and technology, Gadkari’s call for collective action through FPCs marks a pivotal step in redefining the region’s position in India’s high-value horticulture economy.