Kohima, May 21 (MexN): A training programme on Naga Chilli cultivation for Kohima district concluded here today.
The training was organized by the Department of Horticulture and the resource persons were Pawan Kumar, District Horticulture Officer and Mesetuonuo, Horticulture Officer. The farmers were trained on how to select good quality seeds from a healthy mother plant of the second bearing.
Plant doctor Sentinungba spoke on plant protection techniques. According to him, damping-off of seedlings was a severe plant disease in nurseries while fruit rot caused several damages in the field. To minimize the loses due to such plant diseases, the farmers were trained to treat the seed and soil with a bio-agent called Trichoderma. The bio-agent was distributed free of cost to the farmers. It was advised to treat 1 kg of seeds with 6 gm of Trichoderma in 10 ml of water by making slurry. Soil treatment with 1 kg of the same bio-agent in 1 acre of land was also recommended to check the soil-borne pathogens. Other plant protection bio-agents available were Biotris, Mycocide, etc. The farmers were told to avail the bio-agents from the nearest Bio-Control Lab located at Medziphema. However, a lot of research work on Naga chilli needs to be carried out, he added.
The facilitator of the training programme Abeau Mero informed the farmers not to solely depend on the government for financial assistance but to look forward for technical guidance. She encouraged the farmers to act locally and think globally by venturing out into the commercial cultivation and do away with traditional methods.
The Commissioner & Secretary of the department is the driving force to stand firm in the patentship of the Naga Chilli and to assist the final product into the International market, a release received here said.
The I.L.T.C. Company had agreed to partner in the post harvest by transferring technology for quality drying (with solar drying unit). This model project will be located in specified grower zones where it can be a collective platform for the farmers to bring together the fresh chilies once harvested and converting into dry forms to hit the domestic and international market. The awareness campaign was launched as Naga chilli is hitting international market very soon. Three districts viz., Kohima, Peren and Mon were identified for promotion of Naga chilli cultivation, the release added.
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