TEZPUR, June 6: The historic town of Tezpur witnessed a festive atmosphere on Saturday as the second edition of the Tezpur Litchi Festival 2026 commenced with a series of programmes aimed at promoting the town’s renowned GI-tagged litchi and creating stronger market opportunities for local growers.
The two-day festival, being held at the District Library Auditorium and Ananda Chandra Agarwala Garden, has brought together farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, domestic and international buyers, and fruit enthusiasts from different parts of the country.
The event began with floral tributes to noted litterateur Padmanath Gohain Baruah, who is credited with introducing improved varieties of litchi saplings to Tezpur during his tenure as Chairman of the Tezpur Municipality in 1923.
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The inaugural programme opened with a violin rendition of Borgeet by young musician Shivam.
Sonitpur District Commissioner and president of the organising committee, Ananda Kumar Das, paid tribute to Gohain Baruah along with his grandsons, Uday Krishna Gohain Baruah and Sanjay Krishna Gohain Baruah, and several litchi farmers.
A book on Tezpur litchi, edited by noted litterateur Dr Bhupen Saikia, was released during the programme.
A special commemorative postal cover issued by the Department of Posts was also unveiled on the occasion.
Ten prominent litchi cultivators — Sarat Chandra Saikia, Kaushik Neog, Abdul Jalil, Prem Sagar Chowdhury, Ram Narayan Singh, Bina Swargiary, Samir Ali, Raju Sahani, Dhiraj Kumar Singh and Subhash Singh — were felicitated for their contributions to litchi cultivation.
In a symbolic gesture promoting agriculture and environmental awareness, the Indian Army’s Fourth Corps distributed litchi saplings among NCC cadets attending the event.
Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Sonitpur MP Ranjit Dutta interacted directly with farmers and listened to their grievances.
He directed officials from the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments to take immediate steps to address issues faced by cultivators.
“Nowhere else can you find litchi as flavourful as those from Tezpur. We are proud that the vision of Padmanath Gohain Baruah has today earned national recognition,” Dutta said.
Tezpur MLA Prithiraj Rabha announced the launch of an ambitious programme titled Ghar Ghar Lichoo, under which two improved-variety litchi saplings will be distributed to 20,000 households at an estimated cost of ₹52 lakh.
He informed that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma would formally launch the initiative.
Professor Amarendra Kumar Das, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, stressed the need for scientific planning and coordinated efforts across the entire value chain, from cultivation and production to processing and marketing, to ensure sustainable income for farmers.
The festival also featured a session on litchi entrepreneurship led by industrialist Anuj Sharma, coordinator of LCSAR Impact, along with Prof Das and food entrepreneur Amrit Madhuri Devi of Madhur Food Products.
A technical session involving scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendras and agricultural institutions followed later in the day.
In a significant achievement for local growers, one tonne of Tezpur litchi, including the popular Bombaiya and Piyaji varieties, was exported to Dubai through a Kolkata-based company on the opening day of the festival.
Organisers informed that an additional five quintals of litchi would be exported to Singapore on the second day.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) showcased chemically untreated litchi chips developed from the fruit, highlighting their extended shelf life while retaining the original flavour.
The festival attracted thousands of visitors to exhibition and sales stalls. Premium Bombai variety litchis fetched prices of up to ₹50 per fruit, while improved-variety saplings were available for sale at ₹1,000 each.
More than 50 exhibitors, around 30 farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), along with several domestic and international buyers, are participating in the festival.
The event has been organised with support from the Sonitpur district administration, APEDA, NABARD, NERAMAC, EXIM Bank, ICAR, Tezpur University, Assam Agricultural University, the Indian Army’s Fourth Corps, the Department of Posts and several other institutions. The festival is expected to further strengthen Tezpur’s identity as one of India’s premier litchi-producing regions while opening new avenues for exports and value-added products.
