How Nagaland is working towards becoming an organic state

Kohima: In a bid to uplift and promote agro-based farmers of the state, and make Nagaland an organic state, an ‘outreach cum buyer-seller meet on organic food production in Northeast’ was organised at Hotel Japfu in Kohima on Tuesday.

“To facilitate stronger marketing access under the ownership of growers’ organisation, the government of Nagaland has registered the brand as ‘Naga Organic’,” said state minister of agriculture & corporation G Kaito Aye, adding, “The Fruit Producer Organisation (FPO) and entrepreneurs under the mission have started selling their produces and products under this brand.”

Highlighting the complexities of facilitating market accessibility for local produces, Aye said that there is “lack of market information and linkages with buyers, lack of storage and cold chain facilities, high cost of third party organic certification which has to be borne by the farmers after the completion of government’s sponsored programme, high cost of transportation from farm to collection centers and to the market due to hilly terrain, lack of air cargo facility and other logistics in most of the airports in Northeast region except Guwahati particularly for the export of fresh vegetables, fruits and floriculture, lack of processing and packaging facilities are yet to be streamlined”.