DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 11 (MExN): Responding to the recent news feature on the plight of a kiwi farmer of Zunheboto district in this local daily, the Nagaland Empowerment of People through Economic Development (NEPED) has informed that about 7000 Kiwi plants had been introduced in Nagaland by NEPED in 2001, on an experimental basis, to research its potential as a marketable high value exotic fruit. This venture had been taken up in keeping with NEPED’s credo of experimentation through participatory farmer-led research based on scientific data, expert advice and market information, the department explained.
Thus, it stated, the planting materials were distributed to villages in Phek, Zunheboto, Mokokchung, Kohima, and Wokha, with a major bulk of the consignment going to some villages of Zunheboto district as the site conditions were conducive for Kiwi propagation. The press release added that the intent had been to create Kiwi Seed Banks for further propagation if the experiment were to succeed, so that Naga farmers would have viable options for alternative incomes. However, though the experiment succeeded in small pockets of Phek and Zunheboto districts, it fizzled out in other districts, primarily because of the intensive labour involved, demanding soil conditions, long gestation period and short shelf life compounded by the challenges of transportation and packaging.
The release issued by POU (Administration) of NEPED, Vengota Nakro, expressed empathy with “innovative farmers like Pitoshe Chophi who successfully raised the crop but is unable to market the ‘fruit of his labour’,” and sought to assure the farmer that NEPED is still exploring markets to enable farmers to sell their Kiwis despite the inherent bottlenecks in the system. However, it stated that more than that, there were lessons to be learnt from him for which NEPED thanked the daily for bringing it in focus. At the same time, the release informed that a Team Member from NEPED would be contacting the farmer shortly for follow-up action.
Nevertheless, NEPED sought to point out that it “only facilitates the farm-to-market process, as capacitating and empowering farmers with knowledge-based information would enable them to create their ‘own system’ in the absence of other sustainable alternatives.” Making its case through a pointing, it pointed to the Kiwi farmers from Phek district who have ventured out on their own and are marketing the fruit since 2006, “initially tentatively, but now with excellent returns” according to the release.
Meanwhile, with regards to the promise given to the farmer by an officer from the Horticulture Department that NEPED would provide Rupees 1lakh to construct his water tank, the release clarified that it had neither any contact with this officer nor the money to pay the farmer.
