Kohima, December 12 (DIPR): Minister for School Education, Science & Technology, ITTE, Imkong L.Imchen graced the inaugural function of the workshop on ‘Rice & Food Security’ today at the Agri Expo site, Dimapur as part of the Rice Festival of Nagaland. Speaking on the occasion the Minister complimented the organizers of the workshop for drawing up such a programme, touching on very important and relevant issues for our society which would be very beneficial for the people of the Northeast region and Nagaland in particular. Stating that food security is an important policy issue which the Governments’ have to address seriously, Minister Imkong Imchen said that that is the reason why the DAN Government has had two successive ‘Year of the Farmers’ and policies have been explored to make the economy of Nagaland more meaningful both for the farmers as also for the people who depend on them.
Economic growth is important, but at the root of all development lie the issue of food security, the Minister said adding that the country has not attained food security at household level despite food self sufficiency at national level due to various reasons. The Northeast region also remains highly insecure and risk prone as far as food security is concerned and he said that this is a serious issue as the States of the NE region remain among the most unsustainable region of the country as far as food security is concerned.
He cited one of the reasons for such a situation as Shifting cultivation which is the mainstay of agriculture and economy of the region and on an average, 1.63 million ha area is under shifting cultivation annually. Imkong said that the need of the hour therefore is to increase the productivity in food grain. There is the issue of technological interventions to replace the existing age old practices by means and methods that have been developed and tested in the other parts of the world. The Minister said that there is a need to have an appropriate extension systems and enlightened techno-savvy functionaries.
Imkong said that the entire exercise cannot be left to the Government functionaries and the farmers alone and the entire society need to participate including the NGOs as also the educated sections of the society whose role becomes all the more important in the post harvest management issues and adding value to food grain without which there would be less incentives for farming as livelihood and agriculture as an economic alternative.
The entire delivery mechanism of government and the society needs to be kept in the picture when we act to provide food security of the people, Minister Imchen added. He further expressed confidence that the outcomes of the workshop will greatly add to the growth of the economy and the well being of the people of Nagaland as also that of the Northeast. The Minister released a souvenir of the ‘Rice & Food Security’ workshop.
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