The Nagaland village that relishes Kashmir apples

At Thanamir in Nagaland’s Kiphire district, every household welcomes its guests with apple juice, dried apples or simply fruit, if it is in season. The village is famous for its apples and is the only producer of the fruit in the entire North East.

Located on the Indo-Myanmar border, Thanamir is popular for two things, apples and Saramati Peak. Almost every house has one or more apple trees in the yard. If one visits during the fruiting season, which is between July and September, one can witness the welcoming sight of the trees in full bloom. Major markets in Kohima and Dimapur get their supplies of apples from Thanamir.

The apple season was just over when Team Sunday Monitor visited the village. The trees looked barren but villagers were kind enough to offer various home-made apple food items.

Yimrumong Yimchung, a tourist guide and village guard who gave the Sunday Monitor team a tour of Thanamir, said the tree that he planted fruits every year. “The person who first brought apples to the village is still there. He is 81 but he can vividly narrate how he got the seeds. Do you want to meet him,” he said.

Ningchemong Yimchung stays a few yards away from Yimrumong’s house. He was more than happy to tell the guests about the history of apples in the village. But first, he wanted to show them the tree that he planted in the 1970s.

Ningchemong was a young village guard when he met an army officer in the village. In 1976, he and other villagers were called for training at the 11^th Durga Army Company outpost in the village. After the training, one soldier gave him an apple that surprised Ningchemong. On enquiring, he came to know that the fruit was called an apple and it came from the state of Kashmir in northern India. He got two more apples which he brought home. He shared the fruit with his family and stored the seeds for planting.

Ningchemong planted the first seed in 1977 but it was not until 1984 that flowering started. The tree bore its first fruits the next year. With time, other villagers also got interested in planting the tree and took the help of Ningchemong to get seeds. A missionary, Tangit Ao, also helped in procuring more seeds from the Horticulture Department.

Now, Thanamir villagers sell their produce in Kohima and Dimapur for Rs 500/kg. They also keep a part of the produce for their consumption. “The amount produced is not enough to export outside the state. So, we usually sell locally but mostly keep it for our consumption,” said Ningchemong.

When asked whether the villagers have approached the state government to promote the local apples, Ningchemong said there was no such plan. However, the Thanamir Village Council has played a crucial role in promoting the fruit by encouraging every household to plant apple trees. It has been organising the Apple Festival since 2010.

With the state government’s support, Thanamir’s unique produce can be tapped making the entire North East a market for the local apples. This will not only help the fruit to gain popularity but also provide an alternate livelihood to many villagers. But it is up to the villagers whether they want to keep apples as their niche produce and eschew mass production.

~ Team Sunday Monitor