Kiphire district is favourably endowed climatically as well as in terms of soil types for producing a variety of crops. Altogether, 32 crops are widely grown in the district. Out of these, cereals such as paddy, maize, millets, job tear, are the most widely cultivated crops in terms of production and area coverage. Other crops grown are varieties of pulses and cash crops such as potatoes.
The district has the potential to produce on large commercial scale but due to the non availability of oil extracting facility farmers hesitate to go for large scale production of oil seeds, according to District Human Development Report of Kiphire district 2013 (GOI- UNDP project)- Bridging Inequalities Towards Human Development) published by department of planning & Coordination, Nagaland, Kohima.
The report stated that agriculture and allied sectors, such as horticulture, are significant contributors to the Net District Domestic Product and are among the largest employment generating sectors in the district.
“However, it is also seen that the farm activities are limited mostly for subsistence. Although there is ample scope to go for commercial production, due to inadequate marketing facilities and problems of transportation, farmers are slow to take up commercial production,” the report stated.
Kiphire district has been blessed with various agro-climatic conditions suited for production of variety of crops. It enjoys south-east monsoon with average rainfall between 1500 mm to 1800 mm occurring over about 6 months from May to October and the potential evapo-transpiration at 1219 mm. This clearly indicates that there is a shortage of water for a considerable period from November to April.
The report stated that the main agricultural system practiced in the district is the swidden method of cultivation, more commonly known as jhum. Mixed cropping pattern is followed during the Khariff seasons. Rice, maize, a local variety of kidney beans called Kholar (Phaseolus Sp) and Soyabeans constitute the major crops in the jhum fields. Since the terrain is mostly steep and hilly, cultivation is done by dipping in the seeds and deep cuts on the soil are rarely made to avoid soil and nutrient losses. The system is mostly subsistence based and hardly any surplus is produced. However, maize, which is primarily cultivated as fodder for domestic animals, is being increasingly cultivated on a large scale for commercial purposes. The variations of jhum cycle are influenced by a variety of factors such as population, farming households, areas under the control of the village. Therefore, there is no uniformity among the different villages, the report said.
As per input survey report of agriculture department, the district consumption of inorganic fertilizer is recorded as negligible. This indicates that the soil of the district is sustainable in terms of nutrient content. Due to the rich diversity of soil types, the land also has the ability to support a large variety of crops.
Among the horticultural crops, apple can be productively grown in Kiphire district. An area of 145 hectares is under commercial apple plantation at the Saramati range. In addition, the district has the potential to commercially produce Kiwi fruit. Among the tree crops, the district has potential for rubber plantation under the sub-tropical crop zones.
The report stated that with proper planning, agriculture and horticulture sectors hold immense potential for expanding the livelihood options of the people. Some of the challenges however are the land holding pattern which is usually small in size per household. The district experiences long spells of drought like situation during October to April every year and availability of quality planting materials is a recurrent problem.
The report also stated that some of the main challenges for the farming community of the district are inaccessibility to market facility that heavily restricts the development of the agricultural and horticultural potential of the district.
“Most rural farmers of Kiphire also do not have access to micro-credit and other institutional supports like in other districts in the state. Another glaring issue is with regard to gaps in transmission of knowledge and agricultural extension works,” the report stated.
