Government of Nagaland Department of Horticulture organized COVID 19 Horticulture Special Drive District Tour reached Tuensang with the theme “Grow more! Produce more! Learn more”. The team had a consultative meeting with Agri and allied, livelihood departments and KVK at Conference Hall Circuit House Tuensang on 8th of May 2020. The team was headed by Zarenthung Addl.Secy Horticulture Dept. who was accompanied by Y. Bongti and Meyasashi Deputy Directors of horticulture Dept Government of Nagaland.
Zarenthung in his speech highlighted on calibrating the agri and allied sector and livelihood sector. The recent COVID 19 pandemic may continue for uncertainty period, reason failing to invent the vaccine, and it is this time we Nagas should have to think on the self sufficient grains and food production in the state, he said. The COVID 19 scenario in India has created a workforce shortage and failing in cultivation and harvesting which will impact negatively in the national production of food grains, which will lead the citizen to die of hunger he added. It is high time for Nagaland to work hard from government level to every ramified sector to come up how to produce more along with the paradigm shift in agri and allied policies he said. It’s high time to undertake the massive empirical data collection each extracted from the field with realistic approaches, he added. To identify the excess production varieties of crops in each pockets and earmarking the same for export within the state and vice-versa, he further added.
Deputy Director of Horticulture Y. Bongti also added by saying to diversify all the products of Agri and allied to that of Livelihood and emphasis of local production. He also spoke on targeting the off season production of Agri products, advancement of the infrastructural and Agri export policy. He also highlighted on the government’s effort in development of the storage and linkage of Indian railways, Jet airways and AIR India for export purposes where Jet airways and AIR INDIA agreed in principle to help export 2000 KGs each perishable items to central India and Indian Railways agreed to carry 36 Tons Cargo of non perishable Items twice a week. The government of Nagaland and the Airport authority Dimapur has also agreed to make Dimapur airport a Cargo laden airport but now the problem lies in generating the export Agricultural items in Nagaland he said.
In the interactive session the house discussed on channelizing the product to the market by regulating standards system of pricing and also on free movement of the employees of the Agri & Allied and livelihood department in the villages and blocks.
The meeting concluded with a common agenda to work harder, target on massive production, plan on exporting excess and marketing facilities and on paradigm shift in the policies.
(Thungti Chang, IA Tuensang)
