Kohima: Nagaland Agriculture Advisor Mhathung Yanthan demanded the Centre tailor its farm missions for the North Eastern hill states. He spoke on August 22 at a National Conference on AgriStack held in New Delhi. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and various government officials heard his case. The meeting focused on the Digital Agriculture Mission, specifically AgriStack and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses.
Yanthan noted Nagaland is already pushing forward with Farmer IDs and AgriStack integration. But, the state faces tough hurdles. It deals with rugged mountain terrain, traditional landholding systems, and common shifting cultivation practices. Official land records remain scarce. These factors complicate standard national rollouts.
The advisor shifted focus to state priorities. He called for better pulse seed security and a push for region-specific crops. He also stressed the need to fix rice-fallow and Zaid cultivation while building stronger market connections for local growers. Yanthan gave credit to Chouhan for his hands-on approach to managing these agricultural programs.
Yanthan remains hopeful for change. "He appealed for the specific requirements of the North Eastern hill states to be suitably incorporated into the missions so that they could deliver meaningful benefits to farmers on the ground."
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