Mon selected as Nagaland’s Aspirational Agriculture District

KOHIMA — Mon district has been selected by NITI Aayog as the Aspirational Agriculture District from Nagaland under the Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday in New Delhi.

The PMDDKY focuses on 100 low-performing agricultural districts across the country, ensuring the convergence of 36 existing schemes under 11 ministries—including PM-KISAN and PMFBY (crop insurance)—through district-level planning to enhance productivity, diversify crops, improve storage, and promote sustainable practices.

Mon district was chosen from Nagaland based on factors such as low crop productivity, low land use and cropping intensity, and low credit access (below 30%).

The objective of the scheme is to enhance agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification, improve post-harvest storage, strengthen irrigation, increase access to credit, and ensure better governance and service delivery.

As part of the monitoring and evaluation plan, monthly progress will be tracked through 117 key performance indicators using a dedicated digital dashboard.

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The dashboard will generate monthly rankings of districts based on their performance, and the best-performing districts will be recognised and awarded. Dedicated nodal officers will also be appointed in each district to facilitate smooth implementation and conduct regular reviews.

During the launch event, Menphong, a farmer from Mon district, presented the prime minister with a wooden hornbill. In total, five representatives from Nagaland attended the programme in New Delhi.

Potential in pulses

During the launch of the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses in Kohima, Advisor for Agriculture Mhathung Yanthan lamented that many centrally launched projects, except PMDDKY, are not being implemented in Nagaland.

He pointed out that no farmers from the state have availed the schemes despite substantial allocations.

He urged the department to reflect on why the state is missing out on several central government schemes and why farmers are not coming forward to take advantage of the available facilities.

Yanthan said that agricultural technology adoption in the state remains low and urged farmers to move away from traditional methods of farming, stating that Nagaland has limited scope under conventional agricultural practices.

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He stressed that Nagaland has great potential in pulses cultivation, but the production volume remains below commercial scale. He called on farmers to adopt modern technologies to boost productivity, both for local consumption and for developing a market supply chain.

Yanthan also advised officers from various departments to collaborate and share information on different schemes, lamenting the lack of communication and coordination among departments.

The advisor observed that Nagaland continues to struggle with low productivity despite multiple schemes focused on increasing production. He suggested that the state should “change gears” and move towards digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance productivity, optimise investments, and maximise returns.

He highlighted that many farmers continue using traditional methods and that farming has become less profitable due to a lack of market assurance.

He also expressed concern over the ageing farming population, warning that the younger generation is not taking up agriculture, which could lead to a shortage of farmers in the future.

“There is a need to change our approach and adopt technology to reduce labour, increase production, lower costs, and ensure assured market prices. We need to make farming glamorous by adopting technology,” he added.

In his keynote address, V Shashank Shekhar, Agriculture Production Commissioner, highlighted various aspects of the scheme and reiterated that Mon district was selected from Nagaland among the 100 districts identified for agricultural development under PMDDKY.

It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched PM Dhan–PMDDKY and also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for over 1,100 projects related to agricultural infrastructure, animal husbandry, fisheries, and the food processing sector through a live-streamed event.