Agriculture continues to be the lifeblood of the Naga people today. The community’s connection to its land is as old as the community itself. People in the state, particularly in the villages, subsist on rice, fruits, and vegetables that they grow throughout the year.
Likewise, tomatoes are grown in significant quantities at Longkhum village in Mokokchung during this season. On Sunday afternoon, Mangla Longkumer, a local tomato cultivator, shared some photos of the cultivation to Mokokchung Times.
He stated that the harvested tomatoes are sent from the village to a number of other places in Nagaland, including Kohima, Wokha, Tuensang, Mokokchung town and Dimapur. He said that Dimapur has the biggest demand for the Longkhum tomatoes.
Taking his village as an example, he said other villages should also embrace the production of various crops suitable to their farm land, adding that in Longkhum Village, about 9 out of 10 young people are engaged in the production of tomatoes. “It is a viable opportunity for the younger generation to sustain a means of livelihood through farming,” he added.
According to Longkumer, an estimate of 1000 – 2000 metric tons of tomatoes will have been exported from the village to other parts of Nagaland by July of this year.
