Traditional seeds bank inaugurated in WJH

JOWAI: The traditional and community seeds bank was inaugurated by the North East Slow Food Agro-biodiversity Society along with the Society for Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE) and the North East Network, Nagaland at Mulum (Muloom) village in West Jaintia Hills.
The seeds bank was set up by the Participatory Guarantee System known as Iaraplang local group, Mulum under Laskein C&RD Block in West Jaintia Hills.
Collection of seeds in the area was started by Hamsniawpher Suchiang, who is also the leader of the group which helped the District Basin Development, West Jaintia Hills Unit which had been stopped. However, with the initiative of SURE under the leadership of HH Mohrmen they have again started operations.
Speaking during the inaugural function, Horticulture Development Officer, Laskein Development Block, A Malang said that the objective of introducing new seeds is to upgrade the agriculture in the area besides the economy of the farmers. However he urged the people to forget traditional seeds.
President of SURE, HH Mohrmen, who chaired the function said that the project of preservation of traditional and community seeds will encourage farmers in the rural area to have the habit of eating wild vegetables and the vegetables that are grown in their own garden free from any chemical fertilisers.