A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 20
Parliamentary Secretary for Industries and Commerce, Amenba Yaden on Friday requested the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries to continue the National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP), tailor-made especially for the northeastern states incorporating more customized and region specific schemes. While speaking at a “national seminar” on exploring potential of food processing in the northeast states here today in Dimapur, Yaden expressed fears that “otherwise the nascent food processing activities in the region will drastically slow-down.” The seminar was organized by the All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA). “In Nagaland we have a notified Special Economic Zone for Agro & Food Processing at Ganeshnagar, Dimapur where plots and sheds are available for any serious takers for setting up agro-based food processing industries for export.
The State Government has also acquired 100 acres of land for setting up Mega Food Park Project at Khopanalla, Dimapur. I request the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to consider favorably one Mega Food Park project for Nagaland. I take this opportunity to invite investors in the Food Processing Sector to look at Nagaland as a potential base for setting up your industry.”
Yaden however pointed out that the northeast states were facing lack of basic infrastructure facilities like post harvest handling, efficient supply chain, adequate storage and processing facilities which results in unacceptable wastage and value losses to the farmers’ produces.
“However, post the Union Budget (2015-16) presented on 28.02.2015, the Government of India announced that the NMFP would be delinked for Central financial assistance with effect from 1st April 2015, which is unfortunate, especially for States like Nagaland and the rest of the North Eastern States with no resources to promote food processing activities.”
He also reminded the participants at the seminar that the agro bio-diversity of Nagaland is also amazing. “In one village jhum field alone, more than 73 varieties of rice have been documented. Countless medicinal plants are coming to light. Our local ‘turmeric” has indicated cur-cumin content of over 9 percent, with tremendous medicinal value.
“To make Nagaland a totally organic State, the State Government has adopted the ‘Nagaland State Policy for Organic Cultivation’. The hill section of the State has already been declared an organic zone. This offers huge potential in the food processing sector,” he shared.
According to Yaden agri-sector in Nagaland has seen a steady growth in the last few years. The State GDP has registered growth of 7.5% and 4% in the Agriculture sector, he informed while reasoning that such growth in agriculture sector requires corresponding entrepreneurial intervention to take advantage of the potentials, and turn them into economic opportunities.
“Apart from food products, there is huge bio-diversity in the North East, especially in Nagaland, which is yet to be explored. The State is a veritable Botanical Garden. Nagaland already has three entries in the Guinness Book of World records, namely, the hottest chilly, the tallest rice plant, and the tallest Rhododendron tree.
“The State also has a wide range of various species of bees such as rock bees, Apis cerena bees and the Trigona/Melipona (Stingless) bees that are found both in the wild as well as reared in homestead hives. The State Government has established the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission with the focus of drawing up a roadmap for promotion and development of honey. We have set targets of achieving honey production of 5000 MT by 2020,” he shared further.
Yaden also said that there is a huge scope for setting up modern abattoir and other meat processing units in the state for production and marketing of other value added dairy products. “For those of you who have come to Nagaland for the first time, I invite you to explore the potentials the State has to offer in terms of Food Processing. I am sure that you will be pleasantly surprised by the agro- horticulture resources available in the State which are grown chemical free and thereby organic by default.”
The seminar featured three technical sessions in which experts shared their knowledge on Commercial Horticulture, Meat, Fish and Food Processing and Food Safety and Regulatory.
