Minphong Konyak
Mon | July 6
Shiyong Village near Wakching Town, about 30 Kms from Mon Town, is one of the most productive Villages in Mon District as far as products are concerned. It is the first Village, which has set up a large-scale Tea Plantation. At present, the Tea Plantation has expanded nearly reaching Wakching Town. The green vegetation of the rolling hills is breathtaking. There is also a lake in the middle of the Plantation, which lures thousand of picnic lovers from around the District. All these are the brainchild of Honlei Konyak, brother of Chingwang Konyak, MLA 46 A/C Mon. He is a dedicated farmer who has a blended knowledge of traditional and modern ways of farming. His endeavor has availed opportunities to many villagers in earning their daily bread. The products are supplied to Assam, which is in its close proximity.
To add to this, a new and very promising enterprise has taken birth yesterday in the form of Patchouli Distillation Plant. The Patchouli Distillation Plant was inaugurated at Shiyong village under Mon District by the Hon’ble Parliamentary Secretary for Irrigation & Flood Control and Excise, M.C. Konyak on July 5, 2007. The programme was organized by the Department of Land Resources Development, Mon, Nagaland.
In his inaugural speech, the chief guest congratulated Honlei Konyak, Proprietor, Patchouli Distillation Unit, Shiyong and thanked the Department of Land Resources Development for installing the plant at Shiyong Village. He lauded Honlei Konyak, as an uneducated farmer, who has taken up various projects besides Patchouli cultivation and distillation and exhorted the farmers to take his example and follow his foot-steps. He said that Nagaland is a land very suitable for plantation of various crops and plants. But, vast area of land is lying without any cultivation and called upon the farmers to transform the traditional method of farming to modern farming and avail the opportunity offered by our ancestral land.
Chingwang, MLA, Mon, in his speech said that planting only one particular plant will not uplift the rural economy and asked the farmers to take up various plantations suitable to the soil. He also said that unless the rural economy is improved, the living standard of the people will never improve and encouraged the farmers to transform the method of cultivation.
Nihokhu Chopi, Proprietor, MAP Farming and Marketing Ltd., Dimapur, stressed at length on the cultivation of various medicinal and aromatic plants and its preservation. He also said that it is a double cropping plant, which can be planted under the shade of orange trees, agar trees, etc. and that it has a high demand in National and International markets.
Nagi, Proprietor, Nagi Trade and Industries Ltd., Tinsukia (Assam) and Bito Angami, Proprietor, Bito Aromatic Oil Industries Ltd., Dimapur, spoke on the machine specification and market demand and prices of various medicinal and aromatic oils in the market. Pongti Konyak, DHO, Mon, apprised the farmers about the projects and programmes taken up by the department of Horticulture in the district, such as passion fruits, large cardamom, Naga King chillies, etc.
Earlier, the chairman of the programme, Albert E. Ngullie, DPO (Land Resources Development dept., Mon), in his brief history report of MAP in Mon district said that at present plants like Patchouli, Lemon grass and ‘Sukhan Mantri’ has been taken up in the district and has conducted various trainings to the farmers. He also apprised the farmers that such unit will be established in Tiru and Tizit. About hundred farmers from Wakching, Shiyong, Tiru villages and Tizit areas attended the inaugural function. District officials, led by D.C., Mon, attended the function.
