The two-day Taro festival culmination programme was held at Pongo village, Longleng on December 6 with District Agricultural officer Longleng, Maongsangla as the special guest.

Congratulating the organising committee and the people of Pongo Village, the special guest said that the first of a kind festival in Longleng District was a success. She stated that, starting from today, the name Taro and its cultivation is shown in the map. She encouraged the farmers to increase the Taro productivity and to expand the cultivation for higher production.

She also encouraged the educated unemployed youths to initiate the marketing linkage to supply in different parts of the state and outside. Value addition product can be incorporated from Taro product. Taro being climate resilience crops most favourable in our region and has a vast scope for higher production and income generation for the farmers, she added.

In conclusion she informed that Pongo village will serve as a centre, where the Agri. & allied departments will come together to look into the activities of the farmers in the district.

The programme concluded with a technical session, imparting the farmers on scientific farming with senior scientist from the department of KVK ICAR, Longleng.

The festival aims to celebrate and preserve Pongo village’s rich taro heritage while promoting sustainable agriculture, value addition and market linkages for farmers. The festival seeks to enhance farmer livelihoods, create awareness about the cultural, nutritional and economic importance of taro. It also encourage youth to participant in Agri. entrepreneurship and position Pongo Doong (Taro) as a unique regional brand at State and National levels.

Varieties of Pongo doong (taro) displayed during the 1st Taro festival celebrated at Pongo Village

Pongo village is located just 8 km away from Longleng District Headquarters, is widely renowned for producing the finest quality of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Nagaland. Popularly known as “Pongo Doong,” a pride of Pongo Village, this distinctive verity is highly sought after not only within the district but also in the neighbouring districts.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

Pongo Doong is celebrated for its unique flavour, rich texture and remarkable shelf life, qualities attributed to the village’s favourable soil composition and climatic conditions. Since time immemorial, taro has remained an integral part of Phom cuisine and food culture, symbolising tradition, sustenance and heritage.

Earlier, Village Council chairman of Hongnyu village, YL Ongba proposed the welcome address followed by an invocation by Associate Pastor, Pongo Baptist Church, Metlu. The programme was chaired by, T. Amen and Nanglang Y. Phom.