Business people and lawmakers see the Northeast as a potential hotbed of economic activities due to its rich natural resources, topography and proximity with ASEAN and other countries, but many in the region are not as enthusiastic. The Commerce and Industry ministry’s report that the region witnessed more than 85% growth in the export of agricultural products over the past six years is heartening. This tells that the region has either increased agricultural output significantly, people are better informed about marketing or it is a result of government’s support policies. Whatever may be the reason, the trend indicates that agricultural produce from the region has takers from other countries and this should encourage farmers to increase production. In the meantime, the export growth may not reflect the true picture of the region’s agricultural and economic activities if not done out of surplus. The fact remains that most northeastern states are still heavily dependent on imports from other states for various agricultural products including vegetables, fruits, rice and meat. Except for a few items like tea, the region is hardly self-sufficient for most essential food items. This is despite the fact that the region is predominantly an agrarian economy. What seems to be lacking among the farming community in the Northeast is the drive to increase productivity through use of modern technology and to reduce cost of production, which are prerequisites for commercialisation of any product, be it agricultural or manufactured goods.
State governments from the region, including Nagaland have been stressing on agri-allied sector, especially in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak which restricted the movement of people, encouraging citizens to take up farming for self-sufficiency, to enhance income and generate employment. To make the sector attractive with lucrative economic returns, concerted efforts should be made on increasing the scale of production. For this, constraints like traditional agricultural practices, property rights issue, over dependence on monsoon, poor irrigation infrastructure, etc. should be addressed. Farmers also should increase operational holdings and adopt improved crop varieties besides use of modern equipment to increase productivity. The state governments, on its part, should ensure all-weather roads, help farmers find markets for their produce and invest in agricultural research and development. However, nothing much will change if people stick to traditional ways of farming and trading. Even the ambitious Act East Policy of the Indian government, which many see as an opportunity for the region to boost its economy, once operational, will become a bane in the absence of innovative temperament. Trade imbalance due to influx of products from countries in the Asia-Pacific region also can’t be ruled out.
