Amid the ongoing monsoon season, farmers engage in seasonal agricultural activity by transplanting paddy in Kohima district. (Morung Photo/Chizokho Vero)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 27
Nagaland is in the process of formulating its State Agriculture Policy, and the draft is currently awaiting Cabinet approval, according to Advisor Mhathung Yanthan.
Speaking at the installation ceremony-cum-first general meeting of the Central Agri & Allied Organisation of the NDPP in Kohima on July 22, Yanthan informed that the department has been working for the past two years to formulate the policy.
“Nagaland has completed more than 60 years of statehood, but we have not yet come out with an agriculture policy,” the Advisor to Agriculture pointed out.
He said the draft policy has already been prepared and will be taken up by the State Cabinet.
Once approved, it will be tabled in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, he added.
The policy, Yanthan held, will focus on climate-resilient agriculture, land-use based agricultural planning, market linkages, and more. He also stressed the need to address post-harvest infrastructure and promote technology-driven agriculture.
He also asserted that the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), with its people-centric vision, remains deeply committed to uplifting the farming community, modernising agriculture, and ensuring food and economic security for all.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, he added, significant emphasis has been given to the agriculture and allied sector.
He expressed hope that the government’s initiatives would one day transform Nagaland into a progressive and prosperous state through the agriculture sector.
Addressing another event last week, Yanthan stated that the new policy will focus on addressing critical gaps in the farming ecosystem and aimed at enhancing productivity, market linkages, farmer welfare, and post-harvest infrastructure, among others.
As per the 77th Round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), 66.25% of rural households in Nagaland are engaged in farming activities.
Blessed with a favourable climate, fertile soil, and abundant rainfall, Nagaland has immense potential in the agriculture and allied sectors.
