A woman carries firewood on the bamboo basket while a child follows her in a village in Nagaland. (Morung Photo)
Targets for 2030: Production of meat-53, 200 tonnes, milk- 1, 29, 630 tonnes, eggs- 3, 204 tonnes
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 19
The Goal 2- (Zero Hunger) of Nagaland Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Vision 2030 aim to end hunger, increase food production and attain food security for all.
The Vision target to attain the status of a state that has surplus production by 2030, zero malnutrition amongst children and women, increase rice productivity per hectare from 2 metric tonne to 4 metric tonne by 2030 and increase foodgrains production from 7, 38, 260 metri tonne to 9,91, 180 metric tonne.
The agriculture and allied sector is one of the major contributors to the GSDP and is the largest employers of the workforce in the state with 45.47 per cent of the working population engaged in agriculture activities.
Major challenges
The vision statement stated that about 60 percent of the state agricultural land is still under primitive form of agriculture which limits productivity and affects soil erosion.
Though jhum to a certain extent sustains crop biodiversity, the output is subsistence.
The viability, productivity and profitability of livestock and poultry enterprises are also directly dependent on availability of surplus grains and pulses.
The availability of sufficient coarse grains and pulses is limited due to the land topograohy of the state which is either too steep and/or water stressed for settled agriculture.
It also stated that Nagaland has very limited cultivable areas to produce sufficient food grains to meet the challenges of food requirements of the state.
“This limited available area therefore needs to be judiciously explored by tapping all available resources including areas under rain-fed conditions. The state government thus envisages intensifying rain-fed agriculture by ensuring efficient input and water management,” the vision statement stated.
It stated that in the absence of sound marketing facilities, farmers have to depend upon middlemen for the disposal of their farm produce which is sold at the throw-away prices.
It also stated that cold storage, warehouse and agro processing have not developed in accordance with the rising agricultural production leading to food wastage, poor price discovery for farmers, distressed sales of product etc.
“Limited access to goods transportation, coupled with high cost and exorbitant transposition cost in the most of the districts due to difficult terrain and poor road connectivity and poor access to road, power, water and irrigation facilities are some of the major challenges that needs to be overcome,” it stated.
On climate change, it stated that a higher frequency of extreme weather events is adversely affecting agricultural production through soil erosion, landslides, reduced water retention capacity, pest attacks, crop failures etc.
It also stated that use of outdated and inappropriate technology and traditional methods of cultivation are the reasons for low productivity of crops and livestock.
The problems of new and re-emerging disease like classical swine fever, foot-and –mouth disease and brucellosis etc. are big challenges for the state government.
Strategies for success
The Nagaland Vision 2030 aims eradicating hunger and creating surplus in food production by the end of 2030 through adopting various measures.
It stated that to popularize sustainable agricultural practices there is a need to generate opportunities for eco-livelihoods, through integrated packages of technologies, services and public policies.
The state government proposes to address by this by adopting a bottom-up approach such that farmers lead programmes in all developmental activities, the participation of communities increases and communities particularly women groups are empowered.
This is the ‘Farmer First Model’ for the effective innovation and development,’ it stated.
The government also proposes to strengthen extension functionaries of the department for supervision and training and also aim at establishing agro-service centres in all the district headquarters to facilitate input requirements and consultancy services. Considering the diverse advantages organic agriculture offers, the state government proposes to endorse organic farming through a balance and conjunctive use of chemical-free solution such as bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers and bio-control agents.
The state government envisages efficient/organized marketing systems/networks established in the state through proper rules and regulations.
The vision statement stated that in order to increase productivity and production of cereals especially rice, it is proposed to increase the irrigated area in the state for the introduction of summer rice, HYV and hybrid.
It is targeted to achieve an increase in rice productivity from 2 metric tonne to 4 metric tonne per hectare by 2030 by introducing the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in rabi rice areas with assured irrigation, use of chemical fertilizers and proper crop management in kharif rice during monsoon.
The vision 2030 document also emphasis utilizing the water resources of the state towards sustainable agriculture by means of harvesting rain water and enhancing irrigation potential.
By combining all these measures, Nagaland can invariably be brought to status of a state surplus in food production by 2030, it stated.
There is an urgent need to initiate infrastructure reforms for ensuring the availability of basic post harvest infrastructures such as pack houses, pre-cooling units, cold storage units etc., which will go a long way in reducing post harvest looses of perishable commodities such as fruits and vegetables which will ultimately give better returns for the farmers and also help avoid distress sales, it stated.
The department of animal husbandry and veterinary services with its available resources and technologies would like to see that Nagaland is self sufficient in meat, milk and eggs by 2030.
Targets for 2030 with regards to production of meat is 53, 200 tonnes, milk at 1, 29, 630 tonnes and egg at 3, 204 tonnes.
“Considering the present production and growth rate of the three major livestock products in relation to the human population growth, the department will strive to meet at least 60 per cent of the requirement at a four per cent annual growth rate.
Current status of Nagaland
• 16.3 percent of children aged 0-4 years are underweight below the national average of 33.4 per cent
• The agriculture and allied sector of the state has brought out a vision document Vision 2025: Food for all
• Nagaland is an agrarian state with about 60 percent of its population engaged in agriculture and allied activities.
• Low agricultural productivity and high vulnerability to climate related hazards.
