Kebentsin Club a strong stakeholder at Sendenyu
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 18
Making itself visible in the Coffee map of the State, Sendenyu Village under Tseminyu sub-division in Kohima district is already cultivating Coffee covering 50 hectares.
Out of the 50 Ha, Kebentsin Club comprising of 22 young families has covered 25-26 Ha in their own land and collectively cultivating the crop. The Club started Coffee cultivation after the Department of Land Resources (LRD) started creating mass awareness in the State regarding revival of Coffee. It was learnt that some bureaucrats were lending support to the Club in its venture.
A host of LRD officers including Secretary, Joint Secretary and HoD along with district officers visited the farm at Sedenyu on May 17 last and interacted with the Club and other individual cultivators.
During the interaction, LRD Secretary, Y. Kikheto Sema, IAS lauded the Kebentsin Club for showing a good example to the rural people to engage in coffee farming which does not only improve the economy but improves the ecological system.
Kikheto said that the initiative taken by the Club was an example and an encouragement to the unemployed youth whiling away their time in urban areas to go back to their villages and engage themselves in such profitable activities.
The Secretary was also impressed with the power point presentation made at the farm by Dr. Thong on behalf of the Club.
He said that Coffee, unlike other crops, requires 50-60% trees for shed which becomes like a forest. Kikheto also mentioned about other farming activities like Black pepper, Honeybee, poultry etc which could be undertaken along with coffee cultivation.
LRD Director, Hoto Yeptho reiterated his appeal to the Coffee cultivators to do away with any apprehensions regarding market failure that happened in the mid and late 80s.
“But now market has been channelized after the LRD was made the nodal department for revival of coffee and with the initiatives taken by our Secretary, meetings with Coffee Board of India took place and MoU was also signed with a South African company with regard to coffee marketing,” he added.
He said that the LRD was also getting increased coffee seeds with the initiatives of the Secretary.
Hoto informed that the Department has been able to revive some of the abandoned coffee plants during 80s and with new cultivation; the State was able to send out 7 metric tonnes abroad last year. “This is the first time that an agri and allied crops from Nagaland has gone out internationally on such a huge scale,” he added.
Hoto also said that the LRD was expecting to send out more than 7 metric tonnes of coffee this year.
On behalf of the Club Dr. Thong thanked the LRD and its officers and staff for visiting Sendenyu even as inclement weather came in their way.
