In a significant boost to Nagaland’s horticulture sector, Nagaland government has taken another step towards establishing India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Kiwifruit at Pfutsero, in partnership with New Zealand, one of the world’s leading kiwifruit-producing countries.
A high-level meeting was held between Nagaland’s Minister for Water Resources and Horticulture, Salhoutuonuo Kruse, and an 11-member delegation from New Zealand and New Delhi to discuss the progress of the proposed project on May 31 at Kisama. The meeting was also attended by Commissioner and Secretary for Horticulture, Akumla Chuba, along with senior departmental officials.
The visiting delegation included six scientists and technical experts from New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI) — Stephanie Clare Montgomery, Daniel Colin Black, Nicholas Gould, Jeremy Nicholas Burdon, Joy Lorraine Tyson, and Steven Robert Green. Representatives from the New Zealand Embassy in New Delhi, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and media personnel were also part of the team.
A key objective of the visit is the installation of a weather monitoring station at the proposed Centre of Excellence site in Pfutsero. Once operational, it would be the first such facility established by the Horticulture Department in Nagaland. The station would generate real-time data on weather conditions, soil health and water parameters, providing crucial scientific inputs for precision farming and helping growers improve productivity and fruit quality.
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The BSI experts are also expected to carry out preliminary surveys for the Centre of Excellence and interact with kiwi farmers across the state. These field visits would help assess existing cultivation practices, identify challenges faced by farmers and explore opportunities to enhance yields through research-driven interventions.
During the meeting, Minister Salhoutuonuo Kruse expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as well as the New Zealand delegation for their support and interest in the initiative. She also highlighted the potential for future exchange programmes that could enable Nagaland farmers to visit New Zealand for practical training and exposure to advanced kiwifruit cultivation techniques.
The proposed Centre of Excellence is expected to play a pivotal role in strengthening Nagaland’s kiwi sector through scientific research, technology transfer and capacity building. The initiative is in line with the state government’s broader vision of positioning Nagaland as the “Kiwi State of India” while creating better livelihood opportunities for farmers through modern, science-based horticulture practices.
