Kingniu Village Millet Festival 2025 celebrated at Kingniu Heritage Centre

DIMAPUR — The Kingniu Village Millet Festival 2025 was held at the Kingniu Heritage Centre on the theme “Sowing tradition, harvesting the future”. The festival highlighted millet as both a heritage grain and a resilient crop for future food security, while also launching the vision of “Indigenous Urbanisation”.

According to an update, the chief guest, MLA Bunei M Lamthiu, declared the festival open and urged the revival of traditional farming practices along with modern techniques and stronger government links.

He thanked National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for supporting the initiative, assured cooperation in promoting agriculture, and lauded the Chingthur Foundation (CF) for pioneering the Millet Festival in Kingniu. He expressed hope that similar initiatives would spread across Nagaland.

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Rev. Dingshungngamang Kamei, executive director of CF, explained the purpose and context of the festival, recalling CF’s journey since 2019. He emphasised that the community’s strengths—from millet and weaving to forests and spirit—could be harnessed for sustainable development.

“The Millet Festival is not only about food—it is about life, identity, and future,” he said.

Pesha Khiamngan, a board member of CF, encouraged collective participation of farmers and artisans in building a sustainable village economy. Imkongyanger Imchen, district development manager of NABARD, Kiphire, commended the efforts of Kingniu and CF, stressing millet’s role in sustainability and the need for supportive government policies.

Dr. Darlando Khathing, pro-chancellor of North East Christian University, highlighted millet’s importance for research and sustainability and awarded certificates to farmers from Kingniu, Pathso, Pathso Neking, and Ekhao for achieving the highest millet yields.

Rev. Dr. Narong Tongsuk, head of the Ministry and Partnership Engagement office, ECHO Asia Foundation, Chiang Mai, Thailand, spoke on the “Power of seed exchange in ensuring food security”. Seeds were exchanged between villages, and a collective sample was presented to the ECHO Asia Impact Centre, Chiang Mai.

Guest of honour P Mono Khiamniungan, deputy commissioner of Noklak, officially launched the Indigenous Urbanisation Roadmap in Kingniu—the first in Khiamniungan land. He termed the day memorable, urged protection of the environment, and described Nagaland as the “lungs of the nation”.

Warning against destructive urbanisation, he advised villagers to continue agriculture for sustainable living, uphold honesty and truth, preserve indigenous identity, and pass down indigenous workmanship.