TURA, March 12: West Garo Hills Ram Singh on Saturday said that the plantation of areca nuts is not sustainable even though they provide good returns in the beginning.
West Garo Hills DC’s remarks come a day after the state government informed during the ongoing Budget session that the Centre is no longer approving schemes under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for areca nut, citing health hazards.
Speaking during a state-level Horti Exhibition-cum-Honey Festival, at SMELC, Dakopgre, Tura, as the chief guest, Singh also said that the increase in the areca nut plantation can precipitate decrease in forest cover, especially around water sources, thereby resulting in water scarcity.
Referring to the programme, the DC also said that such kind of a platform is essential for farmers to showcase their produce as well as to learn about technical methods including promotion of marketing skills for successful sale of their produce.
Stating that horticulture has a plethora of activities, Singh suggested the adoption of integrated farming with agriculture and allied sectors, including animal husbandry, for enhanced production and sustainability, keeping in mind preservation of the environment.
Informing that Meghalaya is the net importer of almost all commodities, Singh said that there are lands aplenty in the region for people to grow their own food and increase the production by adopting integrated farming.
He also exhorted the people to promote integrated farming or mixed cropping among farmers since it can generate employment opportunities for others along with increased farm products and look forward to making the villages self-reliant by exploring various possibilities of entrepreneurship.
Informing that Garo Hills has high incidence of anaemia and that it ranks second after Jharkhand for malnourished children, the DC urged the concerned officials to ensure that people eat healthy and nutritious food, and grow and sell their farm produce.
Earlier during the programme, the DC inaugurated the stalls put up by farmers at the venue that displayed various farm and horti products and organic honey.
The programme was also attended District Agriculture Officer Purnima K Sangma, Joint Director of Agriculture, Alinaro Ch Momin, District Horticulture Officer, Williamnagar, Jitendra Prasad Barma, district officials, among others.