Nagaland is in the process of drafting a new agricultural policy in response to the growing challenges of climate change, changing societal perceptions of farming, and the urgent need to modernize the state’s agricultural economy. Advisor for Agriculture Mhathung Yanthan said that a draft has already been prepared and is awaiting cabinet approval before it is placed before the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
“We would like to come up with an agriculture policy owing to climate change, people’s perception about agriculture, and with the changing times,” Yanthan said on the sidelines of the Cucumber Festival at Aliba village.
While policy efforts often remain trapped in bureaucratic cycles, Yanthan pointed to a concrete direction: the shift toward a market-oriented agricultural model. “Agriculture has to be market-oriented now. We need a very robust and vibrant market organization. Farmers must be given remunerative prices,” he said, adding that agriculture should no longer be seen solely as subsistence-based, but also as a sector that can generate employment and sustainable income.
A major bottleneck, however, lies in the state’s limited infrastructure—particularly post-harvest facilities. Yanthan admitted that “the greatest challenge is the lack of infrastructure, especially post-harvest infrastructure.” Farmers, he said, are unable to access markets effectively due to the absence of collection centres, value addition facilities, and organized marketing networks.
While quality has never been the issue, volume remains a major limitation. “Any crop we produce is of high quality. Market is not the problem. We don’t have the volume,” Yanthan said. He noted that one of department’s biggest priorities is to increase production levels and build the necessary infrastructure to support it.