Dimapur and its surrounding villages will hopefully become the flavor of the entire country when Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar sets foot at Sugarcane Nursery Farm to inaugurate the much expected Northeast Agri-Expo 2006. While the Agri-Expo has all the strapping to be a grand event much will now depend on the qualitative outcome from the five days of varied activities that will involve a large community of professionals from all walks of life.
There is no doubt that the platform provided by the Expo provides the best opportunity yet for the long suppressed farmers from Nagaland to find that one outlet to become part of a technology driven global market which has much to offer both in terms of the way farming has developed as a commercial trade and also getting sufficient insight into how best to explore and exploit the marketability of agriculture products. Naga farmers should now start thinking of the regional, national and international market which is waiting to be tapped. For this they will have to go beyond mere subsistence farming and increase the level of productivity. The government on its part should give the right incentive for the agri sector in order to make it a profitable profession for the farmers. Several policy measures will have to be put in place towards this end.
It has to be appreciated that setting up of the Agri-Expo site at Sugarcane Nursery Farm, Dimapur is in itself a big plus point and one that will bring benefit to the State in the long run. Strategically located as it is along the all important National Highway-39, which not only links several of the Northeast State Capitals, this famed road is also an indispensable land bridge to Southeast Asia. As such, the Government of India should take it as a priority to give the present Agri-Expo site a permanent status in tune with its Look East Policy. As the Union Minister for Agriculture, it is hoped that Pawar will give in to this legitimate demand as a matter of urgent economic necessity. To merely observe an event for five days will never serve the purpose howsoever well intended it may be. If the theme of the Agri-Expo, ‘Emerging Horizons in Agri-business’ and the slogan of ‘Multibillion economic opportunities waiting to be tapped’ is to really succeed the level of interest for this vision to materialize has to be sustained over time. Recognizing the site as an Agri trading hub will serve the long term economic purpose for the region and the country.
The Nagaland Government getting this privilege of hosting the mega event should make the best use of this golden opportunity by embarking on several initiatives from here on and acting as a facilitator between the farmers, entrepreneurs and would be investors. As mentioned by none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday in relation to the agriculture sector, funds earmarked for the farm sector should not go down the drain. Funds should be properly spent so that the farmers actually benefit and there is increase in agriculture production and productivity. As such the proper utilization of funds is critical to ensure that higher outlay earmarked for this sector lead to better outcome.
