Centre of Learning, Knowledge and Services team with officials and farmers during the installation of Farmer Interest Group on Ndunglwa under Peren district.
• Aims to form Farmer Producer Company in Phek, Peren, Kiphire & Wokha
• 21 Farmer Interest Groups installed in various villages
• Set to sign MoUs with more than 2000 farmers in the next 20 days
Dimapur, August 18 (MExN): Centre of Learning, Knowledge and Services (COLKS) has branched out its services to Dimapur, Nagaland working as a Service Provider to the Department of Agriculture, to implement the programme under Mission Organic Value Chain Development- North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) Phase III, informed a press release received here.
COLKS has been working with the passion to empower the farming community of the Himalayan ecosystem for over six years. ‘COLKS believes that the livelihood of the rural community would be significantly enhanced through innovative and creative methods that would provide sustainable and result-driven services for the farmers.’ Over the years COLKS has been partnering with different government departments and organisations with the aim to fulfil its mission.
COLKS will be handholding farmers from four districts of Nagaland – Phek, Peren, Kiphire and Wokha and the crops selected were ginger, maize, large cardamom and king chilli. The farmers will be provided with trainings on ICS Management & Certification, Branding, Labelling, Quality Control, Campaign Awareness and also be provided with Market linkages under the MOVCDNER Phase III plan, over a period of three years. The aim is to form one Farmer Producer Company (FPC) each from all the four districts – Phek, Peren, Kiphire and Wokha, it stated.
During the installation programme, an introduction about the company and the MOVCDNER Phase III plan wash shared followed by a briefing on the formation of Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) and FPCs by the COLKS Team. They were addressed on the difficulties farmers faced such as poor Market Linkages, through which COLKS demonstrated the strategies it can offer that can strengthen the Market Linkages with a common dream to reach the global market and build a personal relationship with the farmers.
So far, COLKS has formed five FIGs from Phek district which consists of farmers from Kami and Santheri village. At the same time 15 FIGs were set up in Peren district where the farmers belonged to Old Tesen, New Tesen, Ndunglwa, Peletkie and Lekkeiram villages. Altogether, COLKS was able to set up 20 FIGs that were formed in seven villages.
COLKS is set to sign MoUs with more than 2000 farmers in the next 20 days to join their ecosystem. The farmers are all looking forward to be part of the MOVCDNER Phase III plan. One farmer stated, “Market linkages have always been the biggest challenge for us. We are hoping we will be able to see our products in the market after all the trainings and guidance which will be provided to us.”
Dr Zeliegai Ndang, (DDAO) Programme Officer Incharge from Peren was also present in the FIGs installation in all the villages.
