Advisor of Land Resources, G. Ikuto G. Zhimomi on Monday said that Nagaland has a huge potential to generate and earn more than Rs. 2000 crore annually through cash crop plantations such as arecanut, coffee and rubber if 10 percent of potential area was brought under these crops.
He said this during his visit to Razaphe Resource Center, Chumoukedima.
A press release by Vinato Awomi, PA to advisor informed that, G. Zhimomi visited the resource center along with commissioner and secretary Land Resources, Director of Land Resources and a host of department officers to take stock of the center and for up gradation of the resource center.
Ikuto said that agro–climatic conditions suitable for these crops as per the GIS-based survey by the department of Land Resources, was 4,62,500 ha covering all the foothills of the state out of which only 0.23% has been developed fetching an annual income of Rs. 70.75 crore as of 2021 – 22.
He said that arecanut being an eco-friendly crop, the plantation on a commercial scale in the state would benefit the society in the context of challenging issues of climate change.
The advisor said that use of arecanut were manifold and besides nuts, the leaves could replace plastics, and being a shallow-rooted crop, inter-cropping could be suitably done with Coffee where farmers can have two harvests from a plot of land and could fetch double income for the famers.