DIMAPUR: High-tech soil testing laboratories have been set up in 11 districts of Nagaland, said state agriculture production commissioner Y Kikheto Sema on Tuesday.
He added that the state government will write to the Centre for setting up such laboratories in the remaining five newly created districts.
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Sema said this while addressing the inaugural session of the stakeholders meeting at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) at Jharnapani in the newly created Chumukedima district.
He urged the agri and allied departments and ICAR to deliver innovative ideas and also called for their continued dedication and commitment towards the farming Community.
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Sema noted that for the last couple of years, due to the drought-like situation, the fall army worm attack, African swine flu besides the Covid-19 pandemic, the livestock and farmers’ yielding have been seriously affected in the state.
Talking about the unpredictable rainfall pattern in the state, he stressed the importance of multi-cropping along with paddy.
He said even if one crop fails, one can earn from the yield of other crops.
He also stressed the importance of water conservation and the Naga model integrated farming system, where all agri and allied departments can come together in a cluster manner for sustainability.
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Sema said two biofertilizer plants have already been set up in two districts of the state and hoped of getting sanction from the Centre for setting such plants in the remaining districts within this financial year.
He also said weather stations have been set up for all the districts in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras to give real-time advance weather information.
Some of these weather stations will be inaugurated next week.
Sema mentioned the state’s initiative on the importance of digital agriculture whereby it plans to take real-time information by using a drone, to see and initiate action on the fall army worm attack and required bio-fertilizers to be dropped to respective locations for improved cultivation.