NEC Secretary stresses integrated approach to boost coffee farmers’ income in Nagaland
Kohima, Oct 2 (IANS) North Eastern Council (NEC) Secretary Satinder Kumar Bhalla on Friday stressed the need for an integrated approach to coffee cultivation in Nagaland, saying better infrastructure, mechanisation, value addition and market linkages are essential to substantially enhance farmers’ incomes.
Bhalla made the remarks during his visit to Tuophema village in Kohima district to review the progress of coffee cultivation and associated infrastructure under the Coffee USP Project.
He inspected coffee plantation sites and the Hi-Tech Coffee Washing Station and interacted with coffee growers and members of the Tuophema Cluster.
Bhalla said the Union government was committed to the development and prosperity of every citizen and that Chief Ministers of the Northeastern states had collectively evolved strategies aimed at substantially increasing farmers’ incomes.
He added that the Coffee USP Project was not merely a plantation initiative but an integrated livelihood and economic development programme aimed at enabling villages, societies and clusters to derive greater value from the natural and human resources of the region.
“The larger objective is to create sustainable livelihoods and enable communities to access better education, healthcare, modern amenities and an improved quality of life, contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.
The NEC Secretary said coffee development could not be limited to planting coffee trees and stressed the need for good road connectivity, modern processing machinery, efficient post-harvest infrastructure, quality assurance, value addition and strong market and export linkages to make the sector commercially viable and competitive.
He said the project was expected to contribute to a substantial increase in the income of farmers and communities, adding that this would require the collective efforts of the Centre, Nagaland government, Coffee Board, local administration, farmers, technical institutions and the private sector.
Bhalla urged the Nagaland government and the Coffee Board to engage with central agricultural institutions to identify suitable intercrops and complementary agricultural activities that could be undertaken in coffee plantations.
He said that crop diversification would improve land productivity, provide farmers with additional sources of income and strengthen the overall economic viability of coffee cultivation.
The NEC Secretary also assured the farmers that possibilities for water harvesting, mechanisation, new technologies and appropriate equipment would be examined to address the challenges faced by coffee growers.
He encouraged the local administration to engage with industrial houses, investors and exporters who could support mechanisation and automation in the coffee sector through appropriate financial and institutional arrangements.
Bhalla appreciated young coffee grower Vibei Kense, who travelled to Vietnam and obtained specialised certification in coffee, saying such initiatives would help create local expertise and strengthen the coffee ecosystem in the region.
He also urged the present generation and elders to work towards creating sustainable livelihoods and opportunities for the younger generation.
Nagaland Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema said coffee cultivation initiatives in the state date back to 1981 but the sector could not achieve its full economic potential due to limited awareness, inadequate market linkages and other constraints.
He encouraged farmers to adopt a diversified and integrated approach, including cultivation of black pepper and other suitable crops alongside coffee wherever technically feasible.
–IANS
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