Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 15
The 3rd North East Agri Expo with the theme “Progressive Agriculture” kicked off to a grand start Thursday here at the permanent Agri Expo site with Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar as the chief guest of the inaugural programme.
The Governor in his address said the main objective of the Agri expo, an initiative of Nagaland government, is to provide a platform where private and public sectors, buyers and sellers and exhibitors and investors can forge a linkage on progressive agriculture by showcasing agri and allied products of north-eastern states.
NE being a landlocked region, Kumar said the focus should be on application of latest technology to rain-fed farming to get maximum benefit.
Application of advanced technology and marketing strategies would lead to increase in foodgrain production, building marketing linkages, establishment of cold storage chains etc, which would encourage investors to venture into the region
The Governor hoped that the expo would promote trade and industrial activities in North East and particularly Nagaland as well as identify certain areas where improvement need to be made in agri and allied sectors.
Kumar also stressed on the need to extend terrace cultivation in all districts of Nagaland as presently, ‘jhum’ cultivation, which is not eco-friendly, is the chief form of cultivation in Nagaland.
Further, he said the expo should strive to become an “event in the national calendar” so that cross-fertilization of ideas takes place and to build better connectivity with the mainland.
On the occasion, the Governor also released a book titled “Resilient shifting cultivation” and later inaugurated the administrative building of the agri expo.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the chairperson of the inaugural programme, said the successful conduct of the 1st and 2nd NE Agri Expo in 2006 and 2010 respectively, has opened opportunities for meaningful interface and knowledge sharing among farmers of the sister states of the NE region.
Rio said that while the main objective of the agri-expo is to showcase potentials of agriculture and allied sectors in NE state and to develop strategies to achieve self-sufficiency, manage marketable surplus and promote knowledge-sharing and technology transfer, the expo also aims at strengthening bilateral cooperation.
He noted that there is a perceptible increase in awareness amongst the farmers of the region of the dynamics of free market economy both within and outside the country.
“It is hoped that this will ultimately bring better returns to the farmers and help them cross over from subsistence farming to commercial scale farming, thus drawing closer to the Vision 2025 – Food for all with surplus in food productivity in the NE Region”, Rio said.
Special guests including Vice Minister, LAO PDR, Dr. Phet Phompiphak and US Senator Paul Strauss who also spoke on the occasion, assured cooperation to Nagaland government in sectors like tourism, education, agriculture and urban planning.
Farmers and entrepreneurs from all seven NE states and Sikkim are taking part in the expo. Official sources said 130 exhibitors have registered in the 3rd agri expo, a marked increase from the previous agri expos.
State Agriculture minister, Dr. Chumben Murry proposed vote of thanks.
