The Nagaland state department of Land Resources has agreed to go ahead with the cultivation of coffee in Nagaland, with the Coffee Board of India assuring assistance to farmers in plantation and marketing.
Initially, it will cover Kohima District (Kohima village, Rusoma and Sechu Zubza). To make headway, the department in association with Coffee Board of India organized one-day training on “Cultivation of Coffee” here today at Ura Academy.
Dr. Menuosietuo Tseikha, DPO, DoLR said many villages in Nagaland possess ideal climatic conditions to cultivate coffee. He said the purpose of the programme was to train farmers on how to cultivate coffee in good way and get high yield.
The training was an opportunity for the farmers to know the systematic plantation of coffee from researchers.
Partha Pratim Choudhury, senior liaison officer, Coffee Board of India informed that in India, coffee can trace its origin to the planting of seven seeds of Mocha in 1600 CE by Baba Budan in Karnataka. In Nagaland, coffee was first planted in Kohima village.
He stated that Nagaland’s climate is suitable for growing coffee; a reason for the Coffee Board of India’s focus to invest in the state, particularly Kohima district. He assured to promote farmers with every amenity available under the board and also assured them to take care of marketing. He also invited farmers to the research farm, adding that the whole expenditure will be borne by the Board.
Renben Jami, Joint Director & Supervisory Officer, Kohima district, DoLR said Nagaland can become a producer state. The favorable climate can help achieve this end and thereby remove the state’s tag of only being a consumer. With this, he encouraged the trainees to take up anything which will bring about economic changes in society. “We do not want to take up anything which will not bring about economic changes. The standard of living is to be improved, there has to be some economic activities…,” Jami said.
After a gap of 20 years, he informed that the department has agreed to go ahead with the cultivation of coffee in the State and encouraged farmers to make Kohima district a coffee district.
source: http://www.morungexpress.com / The Morung Express / Home> Local / by The Morung Express Correspondent / Kohima- November 11th, 2014
