Dimapur, November 9 (MExN): It is universally believed that hard work and persistence eventually pays off, but this notion is yet to be proven for Pitoshe Chophy, a 33 year old farmer from Zunheboto. As one of the first growers of the exotic kiwi fruit in Nagaland, this simple farmer should have been a raging success. However, he continues to struggle with not the slightest idea on what to do with the fruits of his labour.
Pitoshe first came to know about the kiwi fruit in 2001 when NEPED identified his area, Aphukquto under Atoizu of Zunheboto district, as possessing suitable climate for cultivation of the fruit. The area was made into a “trial area”. Eight farmers (two from all the four villages under the area) were sent to Himachal for a week’s training on horti, forestry and flora but they were basically trained on Kiwi cultivation. After the training, the farmers began to cultivate the fruit but due to the enormous labour and maintenance cost required for its nurturing, many of the other farmers gave up.
Refusing to give up despite the labor involved, Pitoshe began to grow the fruit believing what he was told that kiwi being an expensive fruit, he would eventually be able to recover the maintenance and other costs. Sticking strictly to the directions given to them, he dug 3 square feet pits for 150 kiwi saplings (135 “female” and 15 “male” plants) with a distance of 10 feet between them, in the terrace field where he cultivated paddy. Unable to afford the barb wires needed to support the vines, Pitoshe planted iron pipes and eventually also had to resort to bamboo poles. But the most difficult task was that of ensuring that the saplings received enough water. As per directive, the saplings required 30 to 40 liters of water for about six months, Pitoshe would carry 52 tins of water and make several trips to water the 104 saplings planted where there was no water source. “I was able to do so much when I was younger and not even married” says the farmer who is now married with three children.
After all the hard work, in 2006, about 100 kgs of kiwis were produced and since then, production of the fruit has been steadily increasing with a harvest of about 500 kgs harvested from his field this year. But for the last three years, Pitoshe has been trying everything to catch the attention of the government to help his venture. Till date no help seems forthcoming. During the first two years of harvest, he had presented samples of his kiwis to the Horticulture department but there was no reply from them. One year later, he submitted six cartoons of his fruit to the Horti department to be sold at Hornbill festival, as directed by the department but he only received an amount of Rs. 3000 for it. In fact besides the first Rs. 15, 000 that Pitolu had received from NEPED as loan for the plantation, Pitoshe has not received any financial assistance, though every year, he spends approximately Rs 50, 000 on labor for weeding, grafting and maintenance of his kiwi plantation.
However, more than financial assistance, the farmer is direly in need of other kind of support as kiwi plantation is now his main source of livelihood. Pitoshe says that in 2006, a Horticulture officer visited his plantation and promised him that NEPED would provide one lakh for the construction of a water tank in his field. But it never materialized. Another pressing requirement is in the form of technical support. Pitoshe says that the first year of harvest, his kiwis were bigger in size though they were less in quantity. However, over the years, the fruit has grown smaller in size with the increase in quantity. Though he has no clear idea what could have caused the decrease in size, Pitoshe guesses “from experience” that when excessive flowering takes place, the size decreases.
The farmer also dearly wishes to receive further training especially on preservation. During his first training in 2001, Pitoshe was told that kiwi fruits can be preserved up to six months but he still does not know how it can be done. If there was anything, he could ask of the government, the farmer says that he wishes to learn the art of preserving the fruit of his labor and some assistance in finding marketing links. “I don’t care how much I have to lower the price”, Pitolu says adding, “They said it is an expensive fruit but I am not worried about the price, only how to sell my fruit”.
But market is one issue which the government of Nagaland and the departments are tiptoeing around. The state horticulture department is also assessing the prospects of promoting kiwi fruits in certain pockets of the state considering the climate suitability. But after the marketing disaster of pervious years, it seems reluctant to try again. However, the department is growing some saplings at its nursery in Pfutsero and plans to distribute it to interested farmers in Zunheboto, Phek, Kohima and some areas in Mokokchung.
