Kohima: Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio handed out 35 tractors and six Tata Mobiles to farmers in Chümoukedima on Saturday. The gear comes from the Chief Minister's Corpus Fund. Agriculture drives the local economy. Nearly 70 per cent of the population works the land. The government wants farmers to stop relying on old, slow methods.
The Planning and Transformation Department organized the handout at the Agri Expo site. Rio attended alongside S Kiusumew Yimchunger, Y Lima Onen Chang, and A Pongshi Phom. The state spent Rs 3.30 crore to buy the Mahindra and New Holland tractors for this latest push. It is the first time the state has included Tata Mobiles in the equipment pool.
Rio told the crowd he remembers the struggle of finding good machinery as a young farmer. He warned the beneficiaries to keep the equipment for work. "Do not sell the tractors or other machinery but to utilise them effectively to increase agricultural production and income," he said. He expects farmers to upgrade their skills and lean into organic methods to help hit the goals of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The state has handed out 224 tractors and 262 power tillers since 2006. Development Commissioner Y Kikheto Sema noted that the diverse climate allows for crops like dragon fruit, kiwi, and coffee. Officials hope these machines will make local farms profitable and self-reliant businesses.
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