Akumla Chuba, IAS, along with other officials during the inauguration of processing units of Khutak Valley Organic Producer Company (KVOPC) Ltd. at Khanimu Longjang in Mokokchung on November 11. (DIPR Photo)
Mokokchung, November 12 (MExN): Commissioner and Secretary of the Horticulture Department, Akumla Chuba, IAS, inaugurated and commissioned the processing units of Khutak Valley Organic Producer Company (KVOPC) Ltd. at Khanimu Longjang in Mokokchung district on November 11, an official DIPR update stated.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Chuba lauded the Board of Directors of KVOPC Ltd. for their efforts in organising the event and expressed hope that the commissioning of the lemon juice and oil extraction units would contribute to improving the village economy.
She said farming was one of the most important sectors for economic upliftment and called for proper preservation of traditional seeds. In modern agriculture, whoever controls the seeds controls the economy, she observed.
Chuba also encouraged the farming community to work towards obtaining organic certification by avoiding the use of artificial fertilisers. She urged the village community to join hands and contribute to the state's economy, particularly through agricultural production.
In his welcome address, KVOPC Ltd. Chairman Sashimeren Aier said the company had selected Longjang and Khanimu, a satellite village of Longjang, because of their fertile valley and favourable warm climate.
He informed that since the company's inception, farmers had successfully planted more than 95,000 orange saplings, alongside patches of areca nut in the valley.
While appreciating the Department of Horticulture for the timely distribution of funds and other necessary support, Aier called for continued efforts towards farmers' welfare, stating that such support would help boost the local economy.
He added that the infrastructure for KVOPC Ltd. had been provided by the Department of Agriculture.
KVOPC Ltd. is a Farmer Producer Company (FPC) established as a ten-member private company under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) scheme in 2024.
The company is supported and promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India; The Entrepreneurs Associates; the Government of Nagaland; Nagaland Organic; and MOVCDNER.
The company aims to promote entrepreneurship through the cultivation and processing of organic crops while advancing the economic sustainability of villagers residing in the valley.
At present, it cultivates lemon, areca nut and black pepper, with plans to expand cultivation to other crops in the coming seasons.
Products displayed during the inauguration included dried star fruit, pure lime extracts, roselle tea and Sichuan pepper.
