Mokokchung, October 28 (MTNews): Promoting and export trade of spice is expanding quickly and moving from trade to industry in Nagaland with large cardamom as the key product in integrating economic development trade, said Mhathung Yanthan, Advisor, Dept. of Horticulture & Border Affairs.
Speaking at the launch of pilot project on E-selling large cardamom cum export-oriented seminar with focus on spices of Nagaland on October 28, 2022 at Niathu Resort, 7th Mile, Chumoukedima, Mhathung Yanthan also said that the Spice Board has spent the last 35 years developing and promoting spice cultivation across the country and in Nagaland by implementing infrastructure and introducing high-tech cultivation.
The initiative taken by the Spice Board will go a long way in creating opportunities for farmers to market, produce, and fetch revenue, he said.
“With the growing market and market competition, e-selling has come at an appropriate time which will further strengthen the sector of spices development,” he said during the e-selling launch, hoping that it will bring the spice-growing community together to participate in selling and buying spice products.
He expressed his hope that the digital platform will attract a large number of exporters and traders, and urged exporters and traders to support spice farmers by marketing organic, pest and disease-free products.
According to Yanthan, the major challenges that must be addressed are the quality standard, low productivity, socioeconomic factors such as storage facilities, and the lack of market infrastructure.
To make it a global spice, profitable, and sustainable, he asked all agencies, departments, and stakeholders to collaborate in taking measures to make e-selling more effective and efficient.
Agriculture Production Commissioner of Nagaland, Y. Kikheto Sema, IAS also said that large cardamom, which covers 3,873 hectares and produces 2133 metric tonnes, is one of the prominent indigenous spices cultivated in Nagaland.
He mentioned that India is the world’s largest producer of spices and large cardamom, and that the Northeast region plays an important role in this factor.
He also stated that the state’s spice production is on track, with 35,000 metric tonnes of ginger produced on 4,724 hectares, 9191 metric tonnes of turmeric produced on 649 hectares, and 2490 metric tonnes of Raja Mircha produced on 606 hectares.
Sema stated that the Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Land Resources, and Rural Development has been assisting farmers with the cultivation of Large Cardamom for several years in order to increase the farming community’s income.
“With the assistance of the GoI, the State Government has taken many good initiatives in assisting the farmers in terms of the plantation, production, and post-harvest management,” he said.
However, he mentioned that there are still many challenges such as drying, grading, packaging, and market linkages that need to be addressed in order to enable farmers to get better price realization.
“Also, strategic intervention in pre and post-harvest management with innovative technologies, an Inclusive business plan, linkages with buyers, and an innovative platform for selling the products of our farmers should be the way forward,” he said.
Sema mentioned that the initiative on the e-selling platform for large cardamom will be the first of its kind in the State and hoped that this opportunity will create larger market outreach, better opportunities for selling and buying, and ease the business process, and promote better transparency.