The Department of Horticulture held a special drive for COVID-19 at the conference hall, Directorate of Agriculture on 5th May 2020 under the vision ‘Grow more! Produce more! Earn more!’

Commissioner & Secretary, Horticulture, Anenla Sato, IAS in her briefing expressed that she strongly believe Horticulture department is one of the front line warrior in food sector, all agri allied departments have the same focus to serve the people for food security and sufficiency.

She marked, ‘Covid-19 has brought some positive changes to the world’, it has also turned the world for the ‘survival of the quickest’ and with this awakening call people have realize to emphases more on its own production and productive means.

Sato, stressed on the importance of kitchen garden and mentioned that the main source of nutrition to improve our immune system comes from fruits and vegetables, Horticultural crops can be grown by small and marginal farmers on any type of land and people should be encouraged to cultivate and produce more crops to sustain instead of depending on outside supplies for food and economic benefits.

Nagaland is blessed with natural resources, fertile lands with abundant rain and favourable climate, thus suitable for any type of crop, she added. She also directed the officers and field workers to provide concrete data collection and come up with the details of surplus and shortage of the crops to streamline and analyze it.

She further advised the farmers including family members to follow the guidelines on COVID-19 issued by central as well as state government including the guidelines issued by the district administration.

In the programme Technical inputs were highlighted by Joint Director Jerry Patton, Deputy Director Horti, Dr. Moa Walling, Deputy Director Horti, Mesetenuo.

(SiizoKikhi, IA)