Nagaland not utilising land productively, says advisor of Agriculture department

Dimapur: Although about 70% of Nagas are engaged in farming activities and living in rural areas, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the state is less than 25%, which means “our land is not productively utilised”, lamented Advisor of Agriculture, Mhathung Yanthan on Friday.

Addressing a one-day state-level workshop-cum-awareness programme on oil palm cultivation in Nagaland at Agri-Expo Site in Chümoukedima, Yanthan said he was not convinced some years back that oil palm plantation in the state would be a profitable venture.

But with the state government signing MoUs with Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL) and Patanjali foods Ltd. for development and area expansion under oil palm cultivation and processing, Yanthan said he was persuaded that oil palm can be a profitable crop in Nagaland

He said the demand for cooking oil in India is high, and so the country has to import as it cannot meet the domestic demand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched National Oil Mission to increase its production, he added.

The northeastern states and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are seen as potential oil palm growing regions by the government of India, he said, adding that about 51, 297 hectares in Nagaland is said to have potential oil palm plantation.

“We have the potential of more than 50,000 hectares and our target is 30,000, but we have only about 1040 hectares plantation at the moment,” he updated.

Citing the views expressed by some researchers that oil palm cultivation is environmentally hazardous and consumes lots of water, the advisor said the “environmental hazard is not as much as we think in this crop”.

He also mentioned that Nagaland has agro-climatic diversity even within the districts, suitable to grow different types of crops.

Yanthan urged the farmers to be sincere, stay dedicated, learn the art of growing and cultivation, and master it. He also told them not to be discouraged by loses they encountered in the past due to lack of market as the government is there to assist them (now).

“If this plantation takes off in a big way, the state government is ready to give policy support,” he assured.

Director of Agriculture, Ben Yanthan, said at the event that the department, state government and implementing partners are planning to revive oil palm cultivation in the state.