Agri Production Commissioner who is also incharge of Dimapur district Covid-19 related activities, Kikheto Sema IAS, visited the upcoming Organic Air Condition Market near Agri Expo site Dimapur on 3rd June 2020.
Interacting with the Chief Executive officer of Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board, (NSAMB) G.Ikuto Zhimomi, and officers from Agri and Allied Sectors including DHO Temsu Longkumer, DPO Land Resources, Akato Chishi, Deputy Director (NSAMB), Kikheto asserted that agricultural activities cannot be compromised because of Corona and reminded that the virus would stay with us. Expressing apprehension over the huge number of Naga people arriving from other states and whom he felt were less likely to return back due to the pandemic, Sema said that Agriculture would be the only sector which could employ these youth in the absence of big Industries in the state.
Dwelling on the huge scope in the field of Agriculture, Khiketo Sema emphasised on the need for agriculture battalion and said, we have to go back in the fields and Nagas have to depend on our own products. Further, Sema also dwelt on the need for supplying quality seedlings and saplings so that the farmers do not feel distress with low produces. Instead of buying lower quality from other states at cheap price we should promote and encourage our own people to produce quality seeds and saplings, Sema maintained. Noting on the importance of Agri and Allied at this juncture, Sema expressed that as soon as the order for him to join as APC came out he was full of enthusiasm for carrying his new assignment. However he said, he was sent for COVID duty at Dimapur on behalf of the State Government and for which he expressed excitement and termed it as a noble job to serve humanity.
Chief Executive Officer, NSAMB, G.Ikuto Zhimomi, said that the main objective of the upcoming market was to promote organic marketing and Naga organic promotion for income generation. He also informed that construction work started in 2019 with an estimated budget of Rs.8.264 crore. Informing that initial plan was to inaugurate the AC market in April but due to the National wide lockdown, materials from Mumbai and Delhi could not be dispatched but Zhimomi was hopeful that the market would be operational by this year. The Organic AC market has 2 cold storage facilities with 100 KVA back up generator and 150 KV transformer. The whole area would be solar panelled which can generate 68 KVA.
(DPRO Dimapur)
