Meghalaya Govt cancels International Cherry Blossom Festival

Shillong, Nov 23: The annual event of India International Cherry Blossom Festival held in the beginning of November by the Meghalaya Govt has been cancelled this year because of the expected risks of COVID 19. The state capital Shillong hosts the only Cherry Blossom festival in India. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Meghalaya government is currently allowing travelers, with a COVID-19 Negative report from a recognised laboratory.

 

The festival hosts live music, stalls showcasing the cuisine, beauty pageants and many more such events. Cherry blossom festival is a national festival of Michigan and is celebrated in Japan as well. In India, cherry is commercially cultivated in Jammu and Kashmir where the hail storm problem is not encountered. The Cherry productivity in Jammu and Kashmir is 1.73 tons per hectare.

 

The cherry blossom trees in Meghalaya are different from the cherry trees in the regions of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The cherry tree that are producing best flowers frequently have insignificant fruits. The trees with the most delicious taste have less emphasis on flowers. Thus, the cherries in the Northern part of India are used for commercial cultivation and those in the North Eastern parts are used to promote tourism.

 

Cherries require cold climatic conditions. They grow well at height of 2500 metres above sea level. It requires 100 to 125 CM of annual rainfall. Cherry is required for sandy loam soil with high moisture holding capacity and are sensitive to water stagnation.