DIMAPUR, Aug 29 - A Minister from Nagaland has lamented that though 70 per cent of the State�s population is engaged in agriculture, food production is grossly inadequate in the State forcing it to import food from other States.
He attributed the reasons to low productivity and reluctance of the farmers to use scientific technologies and farm mechanisation.
Speaking at the State-level Watershed Conference at Capital Convention Centre in Kohima yesterday, Nagaland Minister for Roads and Bridges Dr Neikiesalie Kire said that Integrated Watershed Management Programme has been introduced in the State to encourage the farmers to take up cultivation and other income-generation activities.
Culminating the PMKSY-WDC, Batch II, the Department of Land Resources organised the conference.
He said PMKSY, to certain extent, has addressed these issues with the introduction of plantation crops such as rubber, cardamom, tea, coffee, etc. �Through this programme, many unemployed youths have been given support in establishing small-scale entrepreneurship and other income generating activities�, he added.
Kire urged the department to continue uplifting the less privileged people in the rural areas, and to strive hard to bring the desired results in implementing the Central schemes in the State.
Parliamentary Secretary, Land Resources and Excise, BS Nganlang said, �Let us make the best use of the available resources and make ourselves self-sufficient.�
Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar called upon the villagers to adopt the practice of crop diversification and develop resilient agriculture.
Maintaining that water availability is a problem facing most places of the State, he called for development of springshed water management projects to solve the problem especially during dry season.