Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), Nagaland, Y. Kikheto Sema, IAS met several senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and discussed various issues pertaining to the development of agriculture sector in the State on 12th October 2021.
Sema apprised Addl. Secretary, Vivek Aggarwal, IAS, that there is a huge requirement of post-harvest management infrastructure in the State such as cold storages, pack houses, Marketing facilities in the District Headquarters & towns; transportation of agricultural produce etc., which can also extend services to farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs, self-help groups (SHGs) and the community under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). Although GoI has allocated the funds under AIF, whereby Credit Guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers upto Rs. 2 crores with interest subvention of 3% per annum upto a limit of 2 crores. However, banks are shying away to come forward to give loan primarily due to issues of mortgage of landed properties. Sema requested the Govt of India to simplify the procedure under AIF and to direct the Banks to come forward to help the Farmers and Entrepreneurs for which Aggarwal has assured that he would personally look into it and advised him to identify genuine potential Entrepreneurs, Farmers, FPOs for viable projects and who will be willing to repay the loan to the Banks. APC also requested Aggarwal for early sanction of “Digital Agriculture Mission” which was assured to be considered within this month.
The APC also met Addl. Secretary (PMKSY), Prasanta Swain. Sema stated that since food security could be assured only through water security by creation of water bodies, ponds and channels, therefore requested him to consider enhanced allocation of Action Plan both under “Other Interventions and Micro Irrigation”.
Sema met Jt. Secy (RKVY), Chhavi Jha, and apprised her that RKVY is being implemented by eight Departments and four Missions and to kindly consider enhancing allocation of Action Plan in the current year. Sema also appealed to her to consider supporting the new and innovative program on “Naga Model of Integrated Settled Farming” (N-IsF), as a major component under RKVY for sustainability and ecological services, where all the Agri. and Allied Departments can participate in a single cluster like that of Business enterprise. A model has already is being implementing at Boke-Botsa under Kohima District. Sema also stated that this Model can be replicated not only North-East but all the hilly states of the country.
The APC also met Rajbir Singh, Jt. Secy. (MIDH) and requested him to increase the cost norms under MIDH especially for Nagaland and hilly regions of the North-East from the rest of India.
Sema also met Jt. Secy. (Crops and Oil Seeds), Subba Thakur and Jt. Secy. (INM), Priya Ranjan, and thanked the Union Government for providing a well-equipped Soil Testing laboratory (STL) in all the 12 districts and also Mini laboratories in all the 74 blocks in the State. Sema further apprised him that since MOVCD cannot provide organic certification to all the Block levels, creation of an Organic Certificating Agency in the State will be helpful for the farming community which can be taken up as the State has now equipped with all the infrastructure under soil Health Management programs such as STL, Quality Control Labs, micronutrients & biofertilizer production units and treatment of Acidic soil.
(DIPR)
