Yarden Jamir | Aliba | 9 May
Locals and visitors alike thronged Aliba village, located about 18 kms from Mokokchung town, on Tuesday for the Cucumber Festival 2023. The festival, now in its 2nd year, aims to promote the off-season cucumber that the village is known for and to celebrate the farmers for their hard work.
The festivities kicked off Tuesday morning at the Aliba Village Ground with an Inaugural Program featuring cucumber-themed decoration where Temsuienla, Addl. Director of Agriculture, Nagaland graced the program as special invitee.
During the inaugural program, Chumlamo Humtsoe, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mokokchung in his short speech appreciated the farmers and encouraged them to strengthen the farming community.
Tatongkaba, Chairman, Aliba Village Council in his short speech expressed how the success of the last edition of the festival impacted and encouraged the farmers. He said that last year, 38 farmers cultivated 6000 cucumber plants. This year, the number of farmers increased to 53 and they planted more than 20,300 cucumber plants. Even though the yield was not as expected this year due to unforeseen weather conditions, he asked the farmers not to be disheartened and encouraged them to work even harder.
The special invitee, Temsuienla, while addressing the gathering, credited Burremba Pongen, who pioneered the cultivation of off-season cucumber in the village. She said Pongen’s diligence has made Aliba a model village for other cultivators and how the village and the farmers are economically uplifted because of it. Besides, the village being a pioneer in cultivation of off-season cucumber, she encouraged the villagers to be pioneers in other crops and produce.
The Aliba Cucumber has a GI Tag which gives the farmers an upper hand and the potential to be the highest producer. She also urged the Aliba farmers to work harder in management of pesticides and fertilizers to produce the first ever chemical-free or “purely organic” cucumbers and urged the farmers to maintain a reasonable price bracket for their produce. She also suggested the farmers supply the cucumbers to industries as cucumbers are used in food and cosmetic industries.
The inauguration of stalls by the special invitee followed after the program. The festival features a variety of activities and a vibrant array of stalls. Visitors were seen rushing to the stalls after the program to get a taste of the various food items and queuing in lines to buy the famed off-season cucumbers. The 2-day festival will culminate on Wednesday, 10 May.