Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister of Agriculture, stated on Sunday that Nagaland and the Northeast as a whole are being developed holistically by the Centre and States. Tomar opened a farmer's workshop and exhibition when he was in Nagaland at the Central Institute of Horticulture.
"The advantages of the government's schemes should reach the eligible people, including farmers down to the grassroots level. This will improve their standard of living," according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stated this during the inauguration ceremony.
To advance the development of the Northeast, he declared that the central government will continue to go forward shoulder to shoulder with the states. Tomar said, "For the benefit of farmers across the country, particularly the Northeast, agriculture must be transformed into advanced farming."
Tomar, the chief guest at a program put on by the Central Institute of Horticulture (Medziphema, Dimapur), claimed that results are bound to be good once the collaboration between both the Central and State Governments happens, which is exactly what is happening right now. The agriculture minister emphasized increasing production and productivity while stating that the income of brothers and sisters working in the agriculture sector should also increase.
To do this, they should switch to remunerative crops, connect with technology, and bring new technology to farmers through R & D institutions. Additionally, they should receive government funding and benefit from scientific research.
"On all these issues, the Central Government, led by Prime Minister Modi, is closely collaborating with the State Governments," he added. Tomar expressed optimism that this region's farmers will lead a new horticulture revolution.
The Northeast region has continued to suffer from neglect for a long time, and because of its exclusion, it has become difficult for the region to benefit from schemes. However, since becoming prime minister, Shri Modi has constantly focused on securing enough resources for the development of the North-East, made sure that Union Ministers visit this region regularly, and visited the region himself several times so that the problems of the region continue to be resolved by the government
Tomar assured that the Central Horticulture Institute will remain here, will not move, will not run out of funds, and that the Central Government will leave no stone unturned in its development. He said that the North-East Region, and Nagaland in particular, has the potential to offer a lot of scope and advantages for growing many horticultural crops in comparison to other states due to the presence of six agro-climatic zones with large geographical variations.
"There are huge possibilities. Due to its close proximity to South-East Asian nations, Nagaland also has a lot of potential for agricultural product exports. However, to maximize this potential, production must be increased and agricultural products' quality must meet international standards. Farmers will receive a fair price as a result, which will help their financial situation. The agriculture sector will also contribute more to the GDP of the nation" he added.
Additionally, he stated that everyone is working together to bring new technology to farmers at a reasonable cost, and he appreciated the efforts made in this area by the institute and the State Government. G Kaito, the Nagaland Agriculture Minister, also spoke to the gathering and discussed the growth of agriculture in the state.
