IT or Agro Hub

The Governor’s address on the opening day of the Budget Session held recently reflects the mood of the government to push ahead on several development initiatives. One of the key components of the speech is the State government placing high hopes on the “Look East Policy” of the Central government, believing that it can turn the State into a gateway between India and the emerging economy of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries. But the question that needs to be asked is with the present state of affairs—dismal infrastructure, uncertain political situation and misplaced priorities—whether the State is prepared to face the challenges lying ahead on this economic front.

To give one instance, not much headway can be made if the power supply crisis continues in the way it is at present. Every hour that goes by without electricity can account for huge commercial losses. How can the industrial sector (that is if there is one at all in Nagaland) survive on such a dismal power supply? Having a Special Economic Zone along with a Software Technology Park around Dimapur as was mentioned in the Governor’s address sounds pleasing to the ear but the ground realities at present is not very encouraging to support such a high end technology venture. Further, can such a venture benefit the local youths in terms of employment opportunities? No, unless there is technically qualified human resource availability among the local youths. We may have to end up employing software and computer engineers from outside. Likewise, which Information Technology companies will be willing to set up shop in such a software technology park? Will the State government be in a position to assure world class power and communication systems and also the business environment for the big companies to come and invest in such a facility? These are big question marks over the feasibility of such a venture.

The government will have to do a rethink on going in for a Software Technology Park. Firstly, it will have to first give proper attention to improving basic infrastructure and removing the bottlenecks. Secondly it will be more advisable to consolidate on the present industrial assets to ensure that they do not fall into disuse and thirdly to instead build on the comparative advantages being offered by the State’s land resource and its people. While no one is against the industrialization of the State, priority must be given to the Agriculture sector as the local economy is still largely agro based. Setting up of a Software Technology Park at this juncture is not the way to go about things. Instead why not have an Agriculture Technology Park, which will be more beneficial for a majority of people who are still dependent on Agriculture for their livelihood. At a time when the present DAN government is itself giving emphasis on commercial production of agro and horticulture produce, there is a need to provide farmers with the latest technology know-how to not only compete with their counterparts in other places but also to make the farming sector more viable for employment and livelihood. It even makes perfect sense to set up such a facility when the government has extended the Year of Farmers to 2007 under the theme ‘Back to the land’. The suggested Agriculture Technology Park can act as a one stop facility for research, training and dissemination of best practices; running of a diversified nursery on a large scale to ensure quality planting materials to local farmers; incorporating a wide expanse of land area for contract farming within the park itself, which can be leased to local youths, cooperative societies, farming groups etc where commercial production of agro, horticulture and other crops can be undertaken using the available facilities. Rather than pursuing with the Government of India for the setting up of a Software Technology Park around Dimapur, it will be much better to use the comparative advantage found in agriculture and horticulture sector to further the interest of the State as part of the new Look East Policy. And for this having an Agro Technology Park will be much more beneficial for the people in the long run.