Our Correspondent
Kohima | May 4
Commercial floriculture in the state of Nagaland received attention very late in comparison to other states. It was just a housewife’s activity in the confines of their homes up until 2005, when the Department of Horticulture through the HMNEH Scheme introduced commercial floriculture, according to the Silver Jubilee Publication of the State’s Department of Horticulture, celebrated here last week.
From there on, this sector has gone on to become one of the most successful sectors in Horticulture and the state is today known for its quality cut flowers across the country.
Floriculture has changed the lives of many housewives, entrepreneurs and unemployed youths and there are numerous success stories that bear witness to this fact.
As of today, the area under floriculture is 18. 40 Ha which is just a small area when compared to other crops but the success achieved by this sector over a short span of time is enormous and overwhelming.
There are many flower growers in the state under the department who have conglomerated under the aegis of Flower Growers Society and have strived forward to blossom into successful entrepreneurs which is a matter of pride for the state.
The publication maintained that the future of floriculture in the state is rosy and may well be the “Sunrise Industry” of the state which needs to be tapped to its full potential for providing employment, generating revenue and income for an uneconomically sound Naga society.
However, for tapping the full potential of the floriculture sector, we need to tackle certain challenges such as lack of infrastructural facilities, lack of guidance to farmers, seasonal demand as well as unsuitable agro-climatic conditions etc.
These challenges need to be tackled through a comprehensive effort of the government as well as the other stakeholders and consequently the activity should become more remunerative to the farmers with appropriate market oriented extension approaches, the department stated in its publication.
