APC Advocates Naga Model To Sustain Agriculture - Eastern Mirror
Friday, March 29, 2024
image
Nagaland

APC advocates Naga model to sustain agriculture

1
By EMN Updated: Jul 15, 2022 11:59 pm
APC advocates Naga model to sustain agriculture
Y Kikheto Sema speaking at the two-day national conference of state agriculture ministers of India held at Bengaluru on July 15.

Dimapur, July 15 (EMN): While acknowledging the unique traditional agricultural practices in the Northeastern states of India in sustaining ecology, the Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), Y Kikheto Sema, has suggested the government of India to adopt policies and schemes in line with the Naga Model Integrated Settled Farming (N-IsF) for the state of Nagaland and other NE states to enhance productivity.

Presenting the Naga Model Integrated Settled Farming at the two-day national conference of state agriculture ministers of India held at Bengaluru on July 14 and 15, Kikheto has described the traditional system practiced in the state of Nagaland and other north eastern states as different and unique. He, however, stated that constant practices of jhum has not only affected productivity but found to be not economically viable and ecologically sustainable. He, therefore, suggested the union government to adopt policies and schemes in line with the Naga Model Integrated Settled Farming.

Since most of the centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) has geo-physical constraints as they are to a large extent designed as “one size-fit-all approach,” he urged the policy makers to visit Nagaland and NE region to get firsthand knowledge on farming situation at the ground level and accordingly prepare schemes and programmes for the benefit of the farming community of the region.

Since departments’ interventions are fragmented, isolated and without much tangible outcomes, he has insisted on the Naga Model Integrated Settled Farming to achieve the twin goals of profitable farming and doubling farmers income leading to gainful employment, minimise the risks and provide additional income and with the prevailing favourable agro-climatic conditions. Kikheto stated that it would ensure integration of all agri and allied activities in a cluster including agriculture, horticulture, pisciculture, water harvesting pond, livestock like diary, piggery, poultry, duckery etc.

Kikheto added that activities such as sericulture, apiculture, plantation crops such as coffee, arecanut, cardamom, medicinal and aromatic plants, vermicompost, nursery and other facilities like integrated collection centre, pack house, value addition unit, warehouse, common feed mills, farm mechanisation units, farm road on pilot projects are implemented at Boke Botsa under Kohima district during 2020-21.

He exuded confidence that the model would minimise traditional practice of shifting cultivation and protect environment by judicious use of natural resources, ensure double cropping with provision of off-season irrigation facilities and water bodies to provide steady and stable income, promote value chain and marketing linkages through commodity-based farmers’ producer organisation (FPOs), encourage migration from urban to rural for taking up N-IsF and help develop agro-eco tourism/ farm township.

He also appealed for revision of cost norms for centrally sponsored schemes for the state of Nagaland as well as the region as the cost norms are different from other parts of the country.

The two-day conference was attended by the Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar; Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Fertiliser, Mansukh L Mandaviya; chief minister of Karnataka, BS Bommai; Union minister of State for Agriculture, Kailash  Choudhary; Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Shobha Karandlaje; State Agriculture Ministers and Agriculture Production Commissioners (APC), agriculture secretaries and senior officers of the state agriculture department.

1
By EMN Updated: Jul 15, 2022 11:59:25 pm
Website Design and Website Development by TIS