State’s APC rues lack of national or regional institute even after 59 years of Statehood
Kohima, December 11 (MExN): Establishment of College of Agriculture and Regional Centre for Soil & Water Conservation, and Livestock were some of the proposal presented for consideration by Nagaland at the 25th Regional Committee Meeting for North East States (Zone III) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on December 11.
In the meeting held via video conference, Nagaland’s Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), Y Kikheto Sema presented the proposals arguing that even after even after 59 years of Statehood, there is no worth mentioning National or Regional Institute in the State.
According to a DIPR report, the proposal included College of Agriculture under Central Agriculture University (CAU), at State Agriculture Research Station (SARS) Yisemyong, Mokokchung.
In the proposal, Kikheto stated that about 70% of the State’s population is engaged agriculture, out of which 73% is under jhum agriculture, which is neither economically viable nor ecologically sustainable.
While the State cannot stop jhum cultivation, there is a need of College of Agriculture specialising in upland or hill agriculture technologies which will benefit not only Nagaland but the entire hill North East region (NER), he said.
SARS,Yisemyong is located at 1050 above mean sea level and having 132 hectare of State Government’s land, he added.
Meanwhile, Nagaland also proposed a Regional Centre for Soil & Water Conservation at State Soil & Water Conservation Training Research and Demonstration Institute at Sechü, Zubza, Kohima.
The APC spelled out the need to conserve soil and water and creation of water bodies like ponds, spring sheds, revival of springs, rain water harvesting, check dams, etc, the report said.
He further informed that after 58 years of Statehood, the Union Government has recently sanctioned for Soil testing Labs (STLs) in all the 11 districts and Mini STLs in all the 74 blocks of the State.
The proposed regional centre at Sechu-Zubza has sufficient area of 21 ha and the intervention would provide a platform to conduct basic and applied research in the field of soil & water Conservation in NER, he added.
As per the report, the APC also proposed Regional Livestock Centre on pigs in Zunheboto maintianing that Nagas are mostly non-vegetarian and mostly pork lovers, and currently the requirements are being met through imports.
He further cited that the State’s meat import was estimated at Rs 1,000 crore annually to meet the local requirement and noted that livestock centre at centrally located Zunheboto district is most feasible as pig feeds can be easily procured and processed even from nearby districts.
Meanwhile, the State also proposed for establishment of an organic hub with quality control facilities.
The State is by and large organic by default. But there is no institute to facilitate and screen for the quality parameters including certification body, the APC pointed out.
He also noted that while normal organic certification process takes three years,, jhum fields remain productive only for two years during which most of the vegetables are produced.
In this connection, the APC also submitted a proposal for possibility of certifying a produce as organic after two years.
The State also called for adopting the Naga Model of Integrated Settled Farming (NiSF), informing the meeting that it is being taken up by all the Agri. & Allied departments in a cluster mode.
The most important factor under this model is the availability of water and components include agriculture, horticulture, plantation crops, livestock, fisheries, sericulture, post- processing plants, farm roads, power connectivity etc, forming into an economic or business hub, where the educated unemployed can also gainfully participate, ultimately turning into an Agro-eco tourism, the APC highlighted.
He also informed that already this model is being implemented at Boke-Botsa under Kohima District as a pilot project and if Government of India promotes this model, jhum areas can be reduced and forest protected, thereby increasing ecological services.
As per the report, the APC also stated that most of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes and policies are designed for the mainland India as “one-size-fits-all programmes” and urged the policy makers and scientist should also focus on NER specific schemes.
He also proposed for a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for the new district of Noklak and further assured that the States’ Agri. & Allied departments will continue to closely work with ICAR and KVKs for the benefit of the farming community, it added.
The meeting was chaired by Dr T Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR, and attended by the senior Govt of India officials, Vice Chancellors, heads of ICAR institutions, scientists and officers of Agriculture & Allied Departments of the North-East Region (NER).
Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was the chief guest at the meeting.
