Japan interested in Nagaland’s shiitake mushroom and honey, says CM Rio

KOHIMA — The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has come to the rescue of Nagaland state by funding various projects varying from livelihood to environment and conservation, said Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio during his visit to Nagaland Institute of Medical Science and Research (NIMSR) on Tuesday.

He acknowledged the Japanese agency for coming forward to fund a 400-bedded teaching hospital in Kohima with an aim to establish a tertiary level medical service delivery system in the state.

The JICA had also funded the Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP).

Rio said that he has had fruitful discussions with the previous Ambassador of Japan to India and the present one on various avenues, and that Japan had proposed during one of the meetings for construction of a peace park in Kohima, considering the World War II history.

Japan’s focus is not war but to maintain peace and try to do something good and for peaceful co-existence of humanity, he said while exuding hope that the proposed project will be fulfilled.

He also said that many Japanese teams that attended the recent G20 Business Summit in Kohima had invited the government of Nagaland for collaborations and to maintain good relations.

The CM went on to say that he had discussed with the Japanese team about the state’s potential in shiitake mushroom and honey.

The Japanese teams were interested in buying shiitake mushroom and honey produced in Nagaland because of its quality, he said, adding that experts from Japan will be coming to the state to provide training on mushroom production, which may help boost production.

Rio also expressed optimism that the relationship between Nagaland state and Japan will continue to remain strong.