“Chengga” Garo hills juice

TURA, NOV  17: A remote village in West Garo hills has produce its own brand of juice called “Chengga” from the rich fruits available as it gets different variety of seasonal fruits and wild berries. The juice has become a popular brand in markets across Garo hills districts.

The villagers of Rangmangre under Gambegre development block conceptualized the idea of producing the juice in 2010.

The village, about 50 km from Tura, along India – Bangladesh border has 55 households. It is a project village under Ministry of DoNER’s North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas (NERCOMP).

The lead for production of juice was taken up by Rozillar M. Marak, a member of Natural Resource Management Group (NaRM-G) during its group meeting.

“We have vast area under orange and pineapple cultivation. We felt that if we could start processing juices, it will be viable and mooted the idea to NERCOMP. They provided us the technical assistance and we started the juice processing unit”, Marak informed

It is a small unit run by NaRM-G and women SHG in the village. The unit produces about 1500 litres of juices every month.  “In different seasons, we produce different varieties. The juices are made from available fruits in the village. We also produce juice out of wild berries, like mulberry”, Marak said.

Marak explains that juice of Indian gooseberries is a hot favourite in the market, as it has medicinal value. “Over the years, we have been able to reach out to almost all markets of Garo hills”, he said.

The NaRM-G of Rangmangre manages a sustained income by selling the juices in the local market. A 500 ml bottle of juice is priced at Rs. 100 in the local market.

Though the management of the juice production is handled by NaRM-G, the women SHGs makes an extra income by selling the juice. “We get Rs. 20 as commission on sale of each bottle”, said a member of women SHG.

The juice processing unit has given the villagers a reason to smile. It is their sheer willingness, which has given them a space of its own. Their brand is also being promoted and marketed by NERCORMP as “Neat Chengga Juice”, which is now going beyond Garo hills.- From Our Correspondent