Kohima, May 16 (IANS) Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced Rs 380 crore for the welfare of Nagaland farmers and assured to help the state for its overall development.

Inaugurating the administrative-cum-academic block and farmers’ fair at the College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Jalukie in Nagaland’s Peren district, Chouhan asked the Nagaland government to prepare and come up with a detailed action plan related to agricultural development of the state.

He also assured that the Central government would render all possible help for the overall development of the state.

Further, Chouhan advised the state government to form a core team for each district comprising students, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and University Professors who would visit and interact with the farmers at least twice a month to find out the problems faced by the farmers. In this way, it would be easy to find agro-climatic suitable plant/crop varieties and animal varieties to improve the farmer’s income, he said.

The Union Minister said that the newly inaugurated administrative-cum-academic building stands as a testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to capacity building, scientific innovation, and self-reliance, and urged the students present to emerge as ambassadors of veterinary science, taking their knowledge to the remotest villages, tribal communities, and farming households across the state.

Nagaland’s Deputy Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang, in his speech, said the state, a predominantly agrarian state with over 70 per cent of the population relying on agriculture for their livelihood, is blessed with rich biodiversity and favourable agro-climatic conditions and it also holds vast potential for cultivating a diverse range of crops throughout the year.

Stating that ‘jhum’ (slash and burn method of farming) represents a deeply rooted cultural identity and a traditional agro-ecological practice that has sustained the communities for generations, he pointed out that nearly 80 per cent of the farmers continue to practice this form of shifting cultivation. While this traditional system is often perceived as being environmentally unsustainable or economically inefficient for the Nagas, it is far more than a mere agricultural technique, he contended.

Noting that acute shortage of agricultural research and higher educational institutions in Nagaland, the Deputy Chief Minister further said that this scarcity of institutions has created a real and growing sense of deprivation among the youth and farming communities, particularly given the untapped potential of the state in agri and allied sector, and the pressing need for region specific research, education and capacity building.

Zeliang urged the Union Minister to establish a Regional Research Centre on Natural Farming of Hill Agriculture in Nagaland, with emphasis on shifting cultivation systems, to enable science-based support for sustainable hill farming.

Nagaland Governor La Ganesan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a developed India by 2047. Students are the architects of this PM’s dream, he said and urged them to recognise their pivotal role as stakeholders in India’s future. He asked them to embrace their education not just as a personal milestone but as a national duty.

–IANS

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