Coffee Board sees new high in big coffee brew for Nagaland

CoffeeNagalandKF24jul2016

Kohima :

A coffee plantation in the range of 50, 000 hectares of land by 2030 is being envisaged by a collaboration of the department of Land Resources and the Coffee Board of India.

This was revealed by a secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, during a joint meeting of the department’s officials with the officials of the Coffee Board of India, under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The central team was led by Joint Secretary AP Anantha Kumar. The meeting was conducted at the Land Resources directorate in Kohima town Wednesday.

Joint Secretary Kumar said during the meeting that support would be given to the state government in its undertaking production for coffee. While assuring all possible support to the state government in its ‘massive coffee plantation drive,’ he however asked the Land Resource department to make proposals toward setting up an office of the board in Kohima. Likewise, he suggested that the state seek enhancement of coffee seed allocation.

Also, according to Kikheto Sema, the department and other line departments would be undertaking a massive ‘coffee plantation drive’ in every district of Nagaland as the state has been declared geographically and topographically suitable for coffee by the coffee board.

The officials has requested the board’s officials to enhance the allocation of coffee seeds for the state and also to provide technical support and training of trainers and officials, who in turn would be able to train villagers in ‘achieving the target.’

Saying that the department had been encouraging local farmers to give up ‘jhum’ cultivation to engage in coffee plantation, Sema said that the slash-and-burn cultivation method does not offer ‘much dividend.’ However, coffee plantation, he said, will help in uplifting the rural economy besides improving the living standard of the rural people.

Further, maintaining that there was no scope in large and medium scale industries in the state, Sema expressed optimism in agro-based industries. The Land Resources department is undertaking only a few commercial crops such as coffee and rubber but they are crops feasible for the state, he said.

The official also said that the church being the ‘main institution’ in Nagaland, the department was contemplating involving the church in coffee plantation by providing them technical support.

Sema opined that the Coffee Board and any investors willing to come to the state should not have the ‘excuse’ of law and order situations as the state, he claimed, was ‘very peaceful.’

source: http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com / Eastern Mirror / Home> News> Nagaland> State> Current Article / by Eastern Mirror Correspondent / July 21st, 2016

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