KOHIMA: Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary for Horticulture R Khing has said the North Eastern (NE) region had taken great strides in the field of horticulture and was now becoming a horticulture ‘hot spot’ which holds promise in shaping up the lives of future generation.
Mr Khing said though consumer demand for processed spice products like large cardamom and Naga king chilly increased significantly, majority of the consumers in the country were still unaware of NE’s quality products.
He was addressing a workshop organised by the Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland, in collaboration with National Horticulture Board, Gurgaon and Department of Horticulture, Nagaland is organising a two-day regional workshop on ‘marketing of spices in North Eastern Region (NER)” at the Rhododendron Conference Hall, Police complex at Chumukedima, near Dimapur. He asserted that intervention of Central and state governments as well as research institutions were required in ‘certain sectors’.
The Parliamentary Secretary claimed that the State Horticulture Department had grown from a nascent department into a forerunner in terms of setting up development targets and achieving them.
Khing said large cardamom, turmeric, ginger, Naga chilli, black pepper and betel vine were being cultivated locally in small scale in the state but through the introduction of TM-NE (2001-02), main thrust for cultivation on a larger scale was initiated. (UNI)