Pushparani clinches Pineapple Queen title

(L-R) Tingmin Kim of Lambulane, Yambem Pushparani of UripokTourangbam Leikai and Hawaibam Pinky Devi of Lilong Chajing crowned as 2nd runner-up, Pineapple Queen and 1st runner-up.

IMPHAL, September 2: The 5th State Level Manipur Pineapple Festival 2012 and Miss Pineapple Queen Contest were held yesterday at Sandra Craft Mela Ground in Bishnupur District organized by Manipur Pineapple Festival Committee.

The festival was inaugurated by Home Minister Gaikhangam by lighting the candles. Other government officials including IFCD Minister Ngamthang Haokip, Kakching MLA Y Surchandra, Tamenglong MLA JahainlungPanmei, Thanga MLA T Mangibabu, RD and PR Minister Francis Ngajokpa and CO of 30 Assam Rifles, Col N Bhardwaj were also seen at the dice.

RD and PR Minister Francis Ngajokpa released a souvenir of the festival at the function.

Addressing the function, Home Minister Gaikhangam expressed happiness for organizing such festival which carries a massage to the people to promote pineapple farming for large scale production so we can export it to other states and generate income for the state as well as for the pineapple farmers.

Home Minister Gaikhangam, who also holds the portfolio of the State Horticulture Department, said that the State Horticulture Department will provide technical and financial support to the pineapple farmers.

He further continued that the government has a provision to turn these horticulture products like orange, pineapple, lemon etc. into cash crops by generating income through it.

Noticing the changes and lack of work culture in the state, he appealed to the famers to work hard and apply scientific way of cultivation to produce more to generate more income for the state.

Expressed his desire for organizing a festival of U-Morok (king chili) like the way other horticulture product festivals are organized, for example Ukhrul organizes festival for lemon and pineapple production, Tamenglong organizes festival for pineapple, he said that U-Morok is abundantly available in the state and it is even exported to other states.  

In the later part of the programme, three selected best pineapple growers were honoured by awarding certificates.

Later, Home Minster Gaikhangam led the ministers and MLAs and visited the stalls where he encouraged the farmers to grow more of the local breed pineapple.

The afternoon programme was attended by PHED Minister I Hemochandra as chief guest, Works Minister Dr KhRatankumar, RD and PR Minister Francis Ngajokpa as functional president. The programme was also attended by Agriculture Minister Md Abdul Nasir and MLA Victor Keishing.

Addressing the function, I Hemochandra expressed his desire to organize the festival in a larger scope in the future and to emphasize more on promotion of the local pineapple breed to the world.

In later part of the evening programme, the Pineapple Queen Contest was held with 24 constants.

The contest was conducted with three rounds, tradition round, pineapple promotion round and casual round.

The Pineapple Queen 2012 was crowned to Yambem Pushparani of UripokTourangbam Leikai, while the first runner-up and second runner-up were crowned to HawaibamPinky Devi of Lilong Chajing and Tingmin Kim of Lambulane. They were also awarded cash prizes of fifty, forty and thirty thousand respectively.