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Our Correspondent
Kohima, May 5 (EMN): Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Wednesday stressed on better synchronisation in the system of coffee production in the state.
He said this during the distribution of coffee pulpers to coffee growers in Kohima district at Naga Solidarity Park. The machines are being funded by the North Eastern Council.
Rio said that the farmers from the district can form a syndicate at district-level through a pyramid scheme, as bringing farmers under the system would provide security in price regulations and avoid manipulation by the mid-level hawkers.
Informing that many government departments are taking up coffee plantation, he stressed on the need to provide the farmers with good saplings, proper training and also to conduct refresher courses for the coffee growers.
The Coffee Board of India came to Nagaland in the 1980s and started a demonstration farm at Zubza where farmers took a keen interest. Saplings were also distributed on a large scale, however the Coffee Board failed and discontinued, he informed.
‘Decades later, coffee growers in the state have emerged and are picking up well in coffee plantations with enthusiasm,’ he said.
The chief minister further emphasised on the need to bring about value addition to all the farmers to excel.
Stating that there coffee market is huge, he encouraged coffee plantation and encouraged the people of the state to ‘develop the habit of taking coffee and promoting it ourselves’.
He informed that in every district and sub-division, assistance would be provided under CM Corpus Fund to buy coffee brewing machines. He also urged the department to bring good seeds.
Stating that the state lacks a dependent economy, ‘coffee can be one’, he said.
DPO, Land Resource department, Kohima district, Menuosietuo Tseikha informed that coffee plantation in the state started in 2015 and the machines were a value addition to farmers.
There are 1886 coffee growers in Kohima district and 50 machines were distributed on Wednesday, he said, adding that the appliances were given to those growing coffee on a large scale.
He reminded the farmers that giving away machines was ‘neither for hire nor for any other purpose’ but to help them.
Erstwhile 80-90 kg of coffee will now be enhanced to 280 through the machine, he informed.