NERAMAC moves 26 MT of ginger from Hudanger through multiple transport stages; coordinator cites inaccessible roads, damaged culverts and storage gaps
Poor road access is complicating the transportation of agricultural produce in parts of Kiphire district, with the procurement of 26 metric tonnes of ginger from Hudanger village requiring multiple stages of transportation before the produce could be moved onwards.
The ginger, procured by the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), had to be transported in smaller vehicles from Hudanger to neighbouring Hurung village because larger trucks could not reach the collection point.
From there, the produce was transferred through a further chain of transportation involving a dumper and larger trucks, according to NERAMAC Nagaland state coordinator Ariba Anar, who spent almost four days in the field completing the procurement.
Talking to MT, Anar said transportation difficulties were not limited to Hudanger. Some villages have roads inaccessible to large vehicles, while damaged culverts can force farmers to carry agricultural produce on their heads. Restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles in some villages also add to the difficulties, he said.
He recalled an instance in which a truck carrying ginger towards Dimapur remained stuck for nearly five hours before a JCB was brought in to pull it out.
The difficulties increase the complexity of moving agricultural produce from villages to buyers. Anar said the additional transportation and handling costs ultimately fall on farmers.
Another challenge, he said, was inadequate storage facilities. Anar said covered spaces, including multipurpose halls that could be used to keep ginger dry, were needed in producing areas. According to him, exposure to rain can damage ginger and potentially affect its market price.
“Many farmers are now seeking to expand their plantation of ginger from next year, but I am truly worried if these above problems are not looked into,” he told MT, “This will cost heavily on the farmers end. We should know that productions are increasing year after year. A collection centres/ storage facilities are an absolute necessity, no compromise,” he said.
He added that NERAMAC may procure between 50 to 100 MT or 4 to 8 trucks at a time or more if feasible at a time, making storage important during collection and loading.
NERAMAC has also been looking at procuring a further 3,500 metric tonnes of ginger, subject to availability. The geographical scope of the proposed procurement and the quantity available for collection remain to be clarified.
