EMN
Dimapur, April 12
The level of agricultural production in Nagaland is still struggling, and hence her production is still “too poor.” This is the reason why the people of the state continue to depend on the neighbouring states when it comes to availing agricultural products or management, an academician has said.
A farmers’ fair is underway in Medziphema, under Dimapur district. The event was inaugurated by Thepsükuolie Vikhrie, chairman of Mezoma Village Council on April 12 at the School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development, Medziphema campus.
The event was organized by the Farmers’ Cell of SASRD in collaboration with the department of Land Resources, Government of Nagaland. Mezoma village is one of farmers’ cell’s adopted villages.
“The purpose of the Farmers’ Fair 2016 is to bring together farmers, innovators, scientists, government officials and all stakeholders in agriculture, so that through dialogue and mutual understanding there will be exchange of ideas which will ultimately lead to developing necessary strategies to combat challenges faced in the agriculture sector in Nagaland,” the organizers informed n a note issued to the media on Tuesday, April 12.
The event was conducted with the theme ‘Agricultural Technologies for Economic Upliftment’ (sic).
The vice chancellor of Nagaland University, Prof. BK Konwar, addressed the event. In his speech as the chief guest of the formal program, Prof. Konwar lamented that the production level of agriculture in Nagaland was “too poor thus making the people dependent on the neighbouring states.”
This trend requires serious introspection and there is a need for better strategies for the farming community, he said.
The director of the Land Resources department, Mhathung Yanthan, was the guest of honour at the program. In his speech, Yanthan said that his department was undertaking ‘many projects’ and had refined ‘technologies in rubber plantation and integrated watershed management.’ The department is now ‘cautiously working on coffee’ which is ‘finding good prospects in the international markets.’ He explained.
The exhibition stalls were inaugurated by the chief guest. The stalls, the highlights of the programme features members of self-help groups from the adopted villages of Farmers’ Cell, progressive farmers and innovators as well as SASRD Students’ Experiential Learning modules and various academic departments, besides the Land Resources department.
On the first day after the inaugural programme two technical sessions were conducted. In the first session Dr. Moa Walling, deputy director of the Horticulture department, delivered a discourse on the topics related to technology for ‘hill farming’ of horticulture crops. Another resource person, Prof. Sapu Changkija spoke on the topic ‘technology for hill farming on field crops.’
In the second technical session Dr. Catherine Rutsa, an assistant professor at SASRD, gave a discourse about “economic upliftment through livestock farming’ (sic).
On the second day of the event, there will be field demonstrations of various technologies. The session will be followed by an interaction of farmers, innovators and scientists, after which the valedictory programme will be conducted.
• Arums, yams, millet, maize, potatoes and sugarcane. Vegetable crops are melon, cucumbers, spinach leaf, mustard, onion, chillies, carrots, tomatoes, brinjal etc. The main crops of the state are rice, millet, maize and pulses.
• Agriculture: Nagaland is basically a land of agriculture. About 70 per cent of the population depends on agriculture. The contribution of agricultural sector in the state is very significant. Rice is the staple food. It occupies about 70 per cent of the total area under cultivation and constitutes about 75 per cent of the total food production in the state.
• The major land use pattern is slash and burn cultivation locally known as Jhum. Area under jhum cultivation is about 1,01,400 hectare and under terraced cultivation. The total food production during the year was 3,86,300 MT.
• Out of the total land area of 16,57,587 hectares, forest area occupy approximately 8,35,436. There are wild life sanctuaries and national park, namely, Intanki and Puliebadze in Kohima District, Fakim in Tuensang and Rangapahar in Dimapur.
• Power: According to the 1981 census, Nagaland achieved cent per cent electrification in the rural areas. Nagaland has so far achieved 100 per cent village electrification reaching even the remotest village of the state.
• Irrigation: There is no major or medium irrigation project so far constructed in the State. The irrigation works are mostly meant to divert small hill streamlets to irrigate valleys used for rice cultivation. The total area under irrigation covers 93,231.43 hectares.
(source: efreshglobal)
