Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 19
Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO), the world’s largest fertilizer cooperative, has assured to extend comprehensive guidance and expertise on agricultural development towards making Nagaland an ‘organic state.’
The giant fertilizer cooperative also said it would assist local farmers and craftsmen to set up business, sell their organic produce and products through IFFCO’s e-bazar and Indian Cooperative Digital Platform, at a higher profit margin and value addition.
This was announced by IFFCO’s managing director, Dr. US Awasthi, on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebration of IFFCO held here at Niathu Resort on Wednesday.
Dr. Awasthi said IFFCO further assured to look into suggestions to provide quality feeds at reasonable pricing to boost piggery and poultry production in the state. Towards these end, IFFCO would set up a branch in the state and employ an agriculture graduate on full time basis, he said.
He said IFFCO believes in maintaining ecological balance and sustainable agriculture and constantly engaged in research to promote organic fertilizers, pesticides and organic food processing. The IFFCO MD said all the NE states except Assam have the potential to be certified as organic states in the near future. He expressed confidence that like Sikkim, the first state in India to be to get organic state certification, Nagaland and other NE states too would follow suit. He said the golden jubilee celebration of IFFCO founded in 1967 in Dimapur is an auspicious one as Dimapur id the 67th location of the total 125 locations of IFFCO spread throughout the country.
Dr. Awasthi said the principle of driving principle of IFFCO is “to grow together” and to empower farmers and enhance their livelihood. He further requested the state government to take initiatives to merge small societies and cooperatives to bigger ones to strengthen the cooperatives and for easier access to benefits and other schemes.
A host of officials representing the state government and financial institutions including secretary, Horticulture, Government of Nagaland, Alan Gonmei, NABARD, Department of Cooperative Societies, Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Ltd., Agriculture Department, and representatives from the farmers and cooperators also presented their views and suggestions.
On the occasion, IFFCO also presented awards to six cooperators and five farmers from the state. SMM (Marketing), IFFCO, D Bag, delivered the welcome address and senior GM (Marketing), IFFCO, Yogendra Kumar, presented a brief background and products of IFFCO. Ms. Akokla Lucy (BOD), Bharatiya Farmers Agro Business Development Cooperative Ltd., felicitated and introduced the IFFCO officials on behalf of BFABDCO Ltd.
Earlier, Dr. US Awasthi and president, BFABDCO Ltd., PH Thripathi, also inspected the stalls set up by IFFCO and BFABDCO Ltd., and also interacted with the farmers and representatives of cooperative societies.
