Ministry of DoNER reviewed Nagaland projects and discussed coffee and agar wood plantation potential in the state.
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DIMAPUR — The Department of Planning & Transformation, along with officials from the departments of Land Resources Development (LRD), Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), and Roads & Bridges, held a coordination meeting on matters relating to the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) with Statistical Adviser to the Ministry of DoNER, Dharmvir Jha, at the Office Chamber of the Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner in Kohima on Thursday.
According to a DIPR report, Jha appreciated the performance of IDAN and urged the department to vigorously pursue the grounding of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Letters of Agreement (LoAs) with investors without further delay.
He also urged the Department of Roads & Bridges to expedite the construction of NESIDS roads by utilising the unutilised funds at the earliest.
During the meeting, Jha reviewed in detail the projects and schemes funded by the Ministry of DoNER and urged the concerned departments to implement them with sincerity and promptness.
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He cautioned that any proposals or projects from the state to the Ministry of DoNER should be submitted with the concurrence and knowledge of the Planning department.
In this regard, he asked the development commissioner to monitor all proposals and projects from the time of submission till the implementation stage.
Jha further stated that he was previously unaware of agar plantation in Nagaland, but after learning about its huge potential, assured that the Ministry of DoNER would look into the matter.
He asked the state government to submit a detailed report and proposal. He also thanked the officials present and expressed hope for continued coordination, support and progress.
Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner, Kikheto Sema, who chaired the meeting, gave a presentation on the “Journey of Coffee Plantation in Nagaland.”
He recalled the challenges faced during the initial years of coffee plantation in the state and said the success achieved today was the result of enormous efforts and sacrifices made by officials of the LRD department, along with continued support from the state government.
Sema said Nagaland coffee was among the best in the world and had immense potential to enhance farmers’ income and create employment opportunities in the state.
He thanked the Ministry of DoNER for considering the pilot project on coffee plantation in two clusters and for taking up complete value chain development across all 17 districts of the state.
He also highlighted the vast potential of agar wood plantation in Nagaland due to its warm agro-climatic conditions, particularly in foothill areas where natural infection occurs on a large scale.
However, he regretted that most of the products were being exported to Assam below market price.
In this regard, he informed that the state Forest department had prepared a “Policy on Agar Wood,” which was awaiting approval from the Government of Nagaland.
Based on the policy, he requested the Ministry of DoNER to consider supporting the initiative, stating that it would benefit the farming community and generate employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth across the state.
Sema further stated that the farming community in Nagaland could not completely abandon traditional jhum and shifting cultivation due to its economic viability and ecological sustainability.
However, he maintained that coffee and agar wood plantation could provide manifold income and generate more employment opportunities compared to jhum cultivation.
He also remarked that the state had once faced prolonged unrest, which hindered socio-economic development.
However, he said Nagaland had been witnessing peace and tranquillity for the past two decades under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and with continued support from the Government of India.