First female farmers’ project launched in Manipur’s Khurkhul village

Our Correspondent
Khurkhul, Aug. 29 (EMN): In an effort to provide a platform to generate income for a sustainable livelihood, the first-ever female farmers’ project under Indian Council of Agricultural Research North-Eastern Hill Region was launched at the Khurkhul village in the outskirt of Imphal on Thursday.
The project was launched by MLA Heikham Dingo Singh at Khurukhul Awang Leikai Community Hall, 20 km north of Imphal in presence of state and central officials.

Speaking at the launching programme, Singh who is also the deputy chairman of the Manipur State Planning Board, appealed to the womenfolk and local clubs to plant more trees and conserve the environment to meet the challenges of climate change which has becomes a serious threat in agriculture sector.

He lauded the activities of the local Self Help Groups (SHG) of Khurkhul and Kanto areas for taking up such kind of income generation activities.

Terming the initiative as a new beginning, the MLA appealed them to work hard so that other neighbouring villages can replicate the same in their respective areas.

Principal Scientist Dr. S Hazarika who is the nodal officer of theTribal Sub-Plan and Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan of ICAR-Regional centre-NEHR of Meghalaya, said that such projects are being taken up to empower the women farmers through income generating agriculture and allied activities in the states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya.

The technical support and skill development programmes besides the basic inputs such as fertilizers, piglets, bee box and others will be given to the women folks of the SHGs, he informed.

Senior Scientist Dr. S S Roy who is the nodal officer of the Tribal Sub-Plan and Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan), ICAR Research, Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre, said that the project is first of its kind in the Northeast and expressed the confidence that the farmers of the village which have more than 2700 households will take up various income generating activities for a better livelihood.

The female farmers’ project will be made operational by about 18 SHG having about 180 women members from Khurkhul and nearby villages, said H Chanbi, a key functionary of a SHG.