Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio officially launched the air cargo services at Dimapur Airport on Tuesday by flagging off 111 cartons of perishable and non-perishable fruits and vegetables including some finished products.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Neiphiu Rio termed the introduction of air cargo services as a historic occasion for the state.
He then said that Nagaland is blessed with vast land resources with varied agro-climatic conditions. He also said that the state has a wide range of potential to produce organic products.
Rio then said the farmers as well as the educated youth are showing interest in modern farming with the capacity to produce high quality and valued fruits and vegetables. However, to make those produces reaching to the cosmopolitan cities where there are demands would be a huge challenge for everybody. He, however, was positive that the farmers as well as the entrepreneurs would take it seriously, and also that the Agriculture, Horticulture and allied departments would not only stick to demonstration farm or working on pilot basis but they should also empower the entrepreneurs to be a partner in the supply chain and should also come to the rescue of post-harvest management like packaging and value addition so that right prices are fetched and the farmers are duly benefited. He added that unless farmers are stable and rich “we cannot say that our society is strong”.
Stressing on the challenges ahead, Rio said that the farmers should produce consistently and the produces should reach the air cargo station in the quickest time possible with the least cost and at the same time maintaining the quality. He also felt the need to educate the farmers and even the entrepreneurs through workshops or to have discussions to make them understand how better business can be done where farmers and the people who are involved doing business, transporting from farms to air cargo stations get their share of profits and the consumers should be satisfied.
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