Chizokho Vero
Kohima | April 10
The farmers of Nagaland hardly used any chemical fertilizers or plant protection chemicals. As such, Nagaland is one of the lowest consumers of chemical fertilizers in the country.
“Nagaland farmers are inhabitant of the hill-top dwellers with farming practices without use of any chemicals” the state’s agriculture department said in its Annual Administrative Report.
The farmer practices adopted in Nagaland is organic by default though it is yet to equip properly as organic by design, the report said.
Admitting that the demands for organically produced commodities are growing day after day, the department has initiated certain activities to strengthen the organic farming systems in mountainous region like Nagaland.
As of now, Nagaland is implementing organic farming in Nagaland for production of organic inputs under National Project on Organic Farming under the Government of India.
It also focuses on promotion of organic food production under NEC for which implementation for crop certification is in fast progress with SGC India Pvt. Ltd.
Various crops like Kholar, Maize, Ginger, Large Cardamom, Passion fruit, chilly have been identified for coverage within the area of 3000 ha covering 32 villages for 3575 farmers in Tuensang district. The rest of the districts are still in preliminary stages, the report added.
Nagaland is basically a land of agriculture. About 70 per cent of the population depends on agriculture. The major land use pattern is slash and burn method of cultivation, locally known as jhum. However, Kohima and Phek districts are in the practice of improved type of cultivation systems known as Terrace Rice Cultivation (TRC) which are done on permanently developed areas under rain fed condition organically.
Meanwhile, the department has announced its vision to secure a globally competitive agriculture in Nagaland and economically viable by 2020.
Regarding its mission, it has made a declaration to promote to transform subsistence agriculture to organic agriculture in a sustainable manner.
Promotion of Nagaland agriculture to commercial agriculture in a sustainable manner by extending driven service to farmers and to make Nagaland a leading state in sustainable rain-fed farming occupied other areas of the department’s mission.
It also listed its goals to address food safety, food security, food quality, conservation, environmental impact, economically stability, facilitate to increase in production and productivity, promote farm mechanization wherever feasible and improve the capacity of the officers and extension functionaries.
Building on these background realities, agriculture department seeks to promote a technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable, sustainable agriculture development in the state using natural resources; land, water and genetic endowment.
Further, the department announced that it will give a particular attention to promote value addition, accelerate the growth and development of agro-business, create employment opportunity in rural areas making agriculture more technologically- driven to attract rural youth and to discourage migration to urban areas.
