A two-day consultative meeting on agriculture and horticulture in the North East between state governments and the scientific community was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Senior government officials from all the North Eastern states participated along with the nationally and international scientist from different parts of the country.
North Eastern Council Adivor (Planning), Som Kamei who attended the meeting as the special guest stressed on the need to develop agricultural strategies depending on resources, conditions and people’s needs and priorities. He said private sector participation can provide additional resources and create necessary environment to generate job opportunities, better utilization of resources and enhance credit flow impacting directly on farm sector development.
With appropriately defined targets, clear outcomes, strategies and coordinated planning, the region can become increasingly self-reliant in food output, he said, adding that effective computer-based monitoring and management information system can facilitate timely implementation of programs with improved quality and service delivery that can avoid cost and time over runs and yield envisioned results.
Pointing out that agriculture provides livelihood support to 70 per cent of the population in the Northeast, Chairman of ICC NER Agriculture, Horticulture & Food Processing Committee Manoj Agarwal said the region produces only 1.5 per cent of country’s food grain production and continues to be a net importer of food grains even for its own consumption.
NEC Advisor of Horticulture M. Iboyaima Meitei said that NER is endowed with 33 per cent of country’s water resources. It receives annual rainfall ranging from 2,480 mm to 6,350 mm. He said in order to have sustainable agriculture and horticulture, strategic planning and implementation is necessary to develop agriculture and make region marginally, if not significantly, surplus in food production by integrating research, extension and education duly supported by a time bound reforms in land tenure system in each state.
Harnessing agricultural potential would generate surplus to support the secondary sector, create demand for goods in the rural areas, increase disposable income that could enhance purchasing power of some 33 million people and bring socio-economic development, he said.
Regional Director of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Ishantor Sobhapandit highlighted the importance of export-based agriculture.
