Advisor of Agriculture, Mhathung Yanthan flagging off the first consignment of organic ginger under MOVCD phase III from Dimapur to Odisha on April 15. (Morung Photo)
Need to make farming a profitable enterprise, says Mhathung Yanthan
Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 15
The first consignment of organic ginger from Nagaland to Odisha was flagged off today from Dimapur by Advisor of Agriculture, Mhathung Yanthan.
As per the department, a total of 5-10 metric tonne will be delivered to Aisha Traders in Odisha as the first consignment to be exported under the Mission of Organic Value Chain Development (MOVCD) for North East Region Phase III initiative and more such phases would be introduced in the coming days.
The ginger is marketed by the Wokhaland Organic Ginger Producer Company Limited under the MOVCD Phase III with the support from the Department of Agriculture and Government of Nagaland and COLKS (Centre of learning, Knowledge, and Services) as service provider.
Speaking on the occasion, Yanthan stated it was crucial to make agriculture a profitable enterprise for the farmers as 70% of Nagaland’s economy comprisesed of the sector. This can be achieved by providing the necessary market facilities and links to buyers from outside, he said.
The Advisor also attributed the apparent lack of surplus production by farmers in Nagaland to lack of market viability.
As such, understanding the challenges faced by farmers and how to solve them would go a long way in incentivizing people to export their products to markets around the world, he said.
To this end, Yanthan maintained that the State Government has been continuing to play a key role in educating the farmers and building relationships with companies and firms interested in buying the organic products grown in Nagaland.
As 13,000 hectares of agricultural land have been certified under the organic category, the potential is immense, he said, adding that the demand for organic goods kept increasing.
Consequently, through service providers such as COLKS, Green Caravan and Entrepreneur Associates (EA), training and skills can be given to farmers on how to grow products meeting global quality standards, he added.
Additional Director, Department of Agriculture, Joseph Yanthan, meanwhile, stated that over 23,000 farmers have been benefited through various government schemes such as the MOVCD for Northeast region.
A total of 380 villages have been covered under this scheme and have seen improvement throughout the past few years, he revealed. Some of the important commercial crops are ginger, turmeric, Naga king chili, brown rice, etc.
