The ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Nagaland Centre, organized an interactive workshop on August 23 on the promotion of oilseeds in Nagaland. Funded by the ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad, the event was graced by C. Peter Yanthan, Director of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland, as the Chief Guest, and Dr. Girish Patil, S., Director, ICAR-NRC on Mithun, as the Guest of Honor.
Special guests and resource persons included Dr. Md. A. Aziz Qureshi and Dr. Jawahar Lal Jatothu, both Principal Scientists from ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad.
Dr. H. Kalita, HoRC, ICAR Nagaland Centre, welcomed the guests, along with various officials from line departments across Kohima, Chümoukedima, Dimapur, Peren and Niuland districts, as well as representatives from SAS, KVKs, ATMA, and farmers.
In his address, Dr. Kalita emphasized on the need to increase cropping intensity in the state by incorporating oilseed crops in rice fallows. He mentioned that ICAR Nagaland Centre is on the verge of developing short-duration and drought-resistant crop varieties, which would allow farmers to utilize rice fallow areas effectively by timely cultivation of oilseeds and pulse crops.
C. Peter Yanthan, Chief Guest, in his address, emphasized on quality production and suggested exploring indigenous cultivars. He acknowledged the vast potential for cultivating diverse crops due to Nagaland’s wide agro-ecological zones, while also recognizing the challenges faced. He called for greater collaboration between ICAR and state government departments to enhance the oilseed sector in Nagaland and contribute to the state’s development.
Guest of Honor, Dr. Girish Patil reiterated the importance of increasing cropping intensity by introducing oilseeds into rice fallows and discussed the use of oilseed byproducts in animal husbandry.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
Dr. A. Aziz Qureshi emphasized the need
To generate interest among farmers in oilseed production, highlighting the region’s potential for organic oilseed farming. He advised farmers to unite into self-help groups or farmers’ collectives to take advantage of mass cultivation and marketing, which would make establishing processing units more feasible and maximize profits. He also stressed the importance of focusing on value addition and establishing marketing linkages.
Dr. Jawahar Lal presented a comprehensive package of practices for oilseed crops like sesame, linseed, sunflower, and safflower. He suggested conducting adaptive trials to identify the most suitable varieties for different locations in Nagaland and conduction of various capacity building progarmme assist in promotion of oilseeds in the state. Dr. Lal also encouraged beekeeping as a supplementary income source and a means to boost oilseed productivity.
Dr. Harendra Verma, Scientist, Project Investigator of Oilseeds Research at ICAR Nagaland Centre, highlighted that 20-30% of the rice fallow area in Nagaland can be brought under linseed cultivation. He noted that varieties such as LSL-93 and Priyam for linseed, and Amrit and Prachi for sesame, are performing exceptionally well in Nagaland. Additionally, sunflower varieties KBSH-74 and KBSH-78 have shown promising results.
The programme concluded with an interactive session where farmers, officers from line departments, SAS, ICAR, KVKs, ATMA discussed issues, scope and strategies for enhancing the area and productivity of oilseed in the state.
Yilobemo Erui, a farmer from New Wokha village recently recognized by the Guinness World Records for cultivating the tallest coriander plant, was also felicitated. Various agri-inputs such as electric pump, sprayers, threshing shjeets, etc were distributed to 50 farmers from Chumukedima, Peren, Dimapur, and Niuland districts at the end of the event.
