Agriculture Ministry Organizes Virtual Meet on ‘Value Chain Creation
for Kiwi Fruit – Farm to Fork’
The Ministry of Agriculture along with Central
Institute of Horticulture, Nagaland organized a virtual meeting on ‘Value Chain
Creation for Kiwi fruit – Farm to Fork’ keeping in mind the popularity of the
fruit due to its tremendous commercial potential on 11 November 2020. The
meeting was chaired by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare,
Narendra Singh Tomar in presence of Minister of State
for Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala,
Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and other officials of
the Ministry and State of Nagaland.
Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister
of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar
said that the entire North East due to difficult terrain is lagging behind and
all Ministries including Agriculture Ministry are working towards ensuring a
progressive North East. He said that this lag needs to be removed and can only
be done through a comprehensive vision along with stable policy planning and
balanced growth across the region as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Mr. Tomar stated
that the Himalayan Sub - Temperature climate is suitable for Kiwi production
and there is a need to introduce high yielding cultivars. With extensive
research and development support, the commercial cultivation of Kiwi fruit has
been extended from the Sub - Himalayan Regions of India to the mid hills of
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Nilgiri Hills. Presently, India is producing 13,000 MT of
Kiwi in an area of about 4,000 Ha in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and
Himachal Pradesh.
India currently imports 4,000 tonnes of Kiwis from New Zealand, Italy and Chile. Shri Tomar said that to strengthen Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi’s vision and mission of creating an Atmanirbhar
Bharat, the Ministry of Agriculture is trying to provide handholding support to
Kiwi farmers across the country. This is also in line with the call of ‘Vocal
for Local’ which will help in reducing dependence on imports and building a
sustainable market for locally produced Kiwi fruit variants.
The Union Agriculture Minister further said
that the entire nation is witness that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
focused on Agriculture and allied sector rights for the beginning and his
leadership has guided all to look threadbare and in-depth into all aspects of
Agriculture especially the gaps which need to be filled in order to ensure that
farmers can reap the benefits of their toil. He said that a new chapter is
being introduced in the Agricultural history of Nagaland which will be highly
beneficial to the Kiwi farmers of the State. He said that this programme of Kiwi Production enhancement will prove to be a
milestone in the years to come.
Mr. Tomar said also
elaborated on the problems faced by the farmers in the North East region namely
lack of good planting material, productivity issues, lack of packaging
facilities and marketing networks for farmers. Considering the problems faced,
he said that Centre is working hand in hand with State Governments and
especially the Central Institute of Horticulture, Nagaland and the Department
of Agriculture and Farmers’s Welfare has taken key
steps to ensure proper training and capacity building of farmers in production
as well as packaging of kiwi products is done. The Government is also ensuring
that farmers are connected to the market so that they can reap a fair price for
their produce. The institute in Nagaland has also conducted training and
exposure visit of farmers from Phek District of
Nagaland for helping them understand how to reap good returns through Kiwi
production. Mr. Tomar added that persistent efforts
should be made by all to ensure Nagaland can emerge as the ‘Kiwi State’ of
India.