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Dimapur, Oct. 9 (EMN): With an aim to enhance potato production in the state, a team of officials from the International Potato Centre (CIP) is expected to visit Nagaland and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before the end of the year.
This was conveyed during the meeting of officials from the Foster Climate Resilient Farming Systems in the North East- Nagaland (Focus-Nagaland) and the International Potato Centre (CIP) held in New Delhi on Saturday.
Speaking at the meeting APC and MD of Focus-Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, stated that the traditional way of farming is not only economically viable but also ecologically unsustainable. He, therefore, stated that the state government is focussing on development of sustainable farming as a business enterprise, a DIPR report stated on Saturday.
He also stated that unlike in the mainland, the united states of Northeast and Nagaland in particular has a varied agro-climatic condition having the advantage to produce potato in all the three seasons of the year which could benefit the farming community in increasing the production.
Also speaking in the meeting, the CIP regional director (Asia), Dr. Somarendu Mohanty has appreciated the visit of the Focus team and highlighted that the primary objective of the project was to establish a potato seed production system in the state to make high quality seeds available to farmers at an affordable price in a timely manner. He revealed that the combination of lower seed costs and higher yields would make potato cultivation more profitable for small and marginal farmers in the state and expand potato acreage and production.
“This will be achieved through the introduction and scaling up of decentralised low-cost seed production technologies such as rooted apical cuttings,” he said. He also mentioned that while the project is expected to be funded through the Focus project, CIP would serve as a technical partner.
The meeting was held to discuss a project proposal to develop a low-cost potato seed production system for improved livelihoods and food security for resource poor farmers of Nagaland as a sub-project within the Focus project, the report added.