Nagaland chief secretary, Pankaj Kumar, said that in order to have a well directed funding towards expansion of agro based industries, which in the long run would yield results, the government should identify a particular crop at a time and build connection among the farmers growing that crop by organizing meetings and having discussions and help the group of farmers.
He was speaking at a conference on “Linking startups and SMEs in food processing with government schemes & markets” on Thursday at ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema, Dimapur as chief guest.
Pankaj said subsequently a company could be set up by associating with social entrepreneurs so as to create a market and move the produce and for facilitating all these, he said a small fund should be created by the respective departments.
He said this group approach would be most benefiting for the farmers and added that the process could be started by choosing a not easily perishable crop. On achieving experience, Pankaj said the government could choose other crops or even perishable crops.
The chief secretary also advocated amendments to Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act 2005 for the purpose of enabling farmers to take on e-trading conveniently.
He said there are products in Nagaland which are waiting to be utilized to their full potentials and that there was a need to expand, organize and link farmers who are doing well and producing surplus.
Speaking about the agriculture scenario in Nagaland, director department of agriculture, Helie Rupreo, said that Nagaland was an agrarian state with a population if 19, 80, 602 (2011 census) with geographical area of 16,579 sq.km.
He informed that a cultivable area of 7, 21, 924 ha (43.5%) out of which gross cropped is 4, 37, 910 ha and net cropped area is 3, 38, 060 ha (20.39%), where about75% of land falls under hill sector and 25% of land falls under foot hill sector. Rupreo said the entire farming system is rainfed where jhum system of cultivation was a way of life for state upland farmers since time immemorial.
In absence of proper marketing system and value addition facilities in place, Rupreo said the aim of farming was to meet family requirement oriented production but not on commercial scale production.
The director also said that rice has been the staple food in the state it occupies about 62% and 71% of food grain area and production respectively and added that the state was still deficit in rice production by about 25%.
Rupreo maintained that state has been blessed with conducive agro-climatic condition and vast bio-diversity having high potential for agro-based industries and entrepreneurships development through organic products being default organic or organic in nature.
He also said that state has high potential for organic production as agriculture and horticulture crops, medicinal plants fodders, milk etc. however lamented that farmers are yet to take up agriculture as business venture for wants of proper marketing, value addition facilities and entrepreneurs.
Rupreo called upon government of India and its agencies to come forward and promote Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) in Nagaland.
He appealed Nagaland stake holders and policy makers to bring out comprehensive and realistic action oriented strategy which would take the state forward in development of value chain and promote SME in the sector of agricultural marketing, godown/cold storage and agro base processing in the state to uplift the economy and living standard of farming community in the state.
While delivering a keynote address, deputy director, department of horticulture, Meyasashi explained in detail about the scheme implemented by horticulture department in the state.
Earlier, welcome address was delivered by director, ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema, Dr. Abhijit Mitra, while summing up and vote of thanks was proposed by assistant director, ASSOCHAM, Chetan Vij.
The programme was followed by technical session with the topic “budding entrepreneurs-industry and financial linkages”.
The conference was organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in association with Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), government of India in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, government of India, North Eastern Council, Ministry of DoNER, government of India, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).