Share
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 29 (EMN): State minister of Agriculture and Co-operation, G Kaito Aye on Friday called for improvising agriculture and scale up production for self-sufficiency in the state.
Aye stated this in his address at the co-ordination meeting of the department of Agriculture in the presence of Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) and Commissioner Secretary of Agriculture and senior officials from the directorate and district agriculture officers at Hotel Japfu in Kohima.
To improve agriculture production in the state, he urged the officials to reach out to the grassroots and said, “The unreached must be reached.” He told the officials to identify crops that are viable for the district and take up the same with the department in order to boost the state aspirations towards attaining self-sufficiency.
Aye urged the officials to be proactive to ensure that farmers are benefited with the farmers-oriented programmes and also raise their status and that no lapses should occur in the procedures. He also emphasised on the need for co-operation among the department officials and to prioritise the needs of farmers to change the face of agriculture in the state for boosting productivity.
While maintaining that rice cultivation is not enough to sustain, he suggested on the need to identify other crops that would yield surplus production.
He made a mention of ginger plantation at Tizu valley in Phek district, which is progressing well with huge production potentiality. In this regard, the minister stressed on the need to encourage such farmers in various pockets of the state by identifying the potential areas.
Expounding that agriculturists and teachers are respectable professions, he called upon the officials to activate themselves, undertake field visits in villages and interact with farmers to improve the quality of farming.
Delivering a keynote address, Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) and Commissioner and Secretary of Agriculture, Y Kikheto Sema, maintained that the Agri and allied department is vested with much more responsibilities. He said, “Agriculture is the mainstay of our state and we can stop everything but not agriculture and allied.”
He also reminded that Agriculture department is the mother of all its allied/ line departments and underlined on the need of 3 Cs – co-ordination and convergence and confidence -- for sustainable development.
Sema urged the senior officers, who would be retiring within few years, to contribute to the society by rendering their sincere service so that they would be remembered by the people.
He also emphasised on the need of incorporating technical knowledge with traditional/ ancient agricultural practices for effective results to boost farming. He further stressed on the need for more field activity instead of office meetings to enhance food production in the state.
In a welcome address, the director of Agriculture, M Ben Yanthan, expressed confidence that Y Kikheto Sema would take forward the department to greater heights.