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Four-lane NH completion expected to boost Nagaland cold chain facilities
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Saturday, 22 April, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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Inaugurating the Outreach Awareness Programme on Cold Chain under the aegis of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Hotel Japfu in Kohima, M K Mero, commissioner and secretary, veterinary and animal husbandry, Nagaland, forecast that by 2020, the cold chain facilities across the north-eastern state will have great prospects with the completion of the four-lane national highway from Dimapur to Kohima and beyond, because by then the state will have a lot of power.
However, he regretted that with very poor road connectivity and poorer power supplies, the state has not been able to process its horticulture produce, such as banana, papaya, pineapple, chilli, ginger, etc., which result in 45 per cent post-harvest losses. “On account of this, the farmers of Nagaland remain economically exploited and highly under-utilised. But as soon as the new infrastructure comes up in next few years, the food processing potential of the state will multiply and result in a win-win situation, both for farmers and end consumers,” he said.
“By 2020, it is expected that the work on the four-lane road connectivity will have been completed and the power situation will have improved. Nagaland expects a host of food processing units to come up on both sides of the new highway, which will transform its horticulture sector, which is currently languishing on account of poor facilities,” Mero added.
L Houchalie Viya, additional secretary, industries and commerce department, Nagaland, informed members of the Chamber that the government of the north-eastern state had forwarded a proposal to the union ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI) that it was unable to set up mega food parks in the state because of certain constraints.
It asked the Centre to come out with mini food park schemes, as these would be suitable for smaller states, such as Nagaland. “In the proposal, already sent to the government, the government of Nagaland has urged the union government to create 90 per cent of Central subsidy element for the state, whereas it will contribute the remainder of the total cost of the mini food parks, which should be between Rs 20 and Rs 25 crore,” said the additional secretary, adding that in the mini food parks, four or five processing units should be made permissible, as against 30 processing units that are necessary in the mega food parks.
Viya said, “The Centre is inclined to support this initiative of the state, because it will suit the requirements of the smaller state and amount to benefiting its farmers, their produce and even the end consumers.” Ranjeet Mehta, director, PHD Chamber, presided over the Outreach Awareness Programme on Cold Chain, in which N Amos, director, department of horticulture, Nagaland, and Tali Longthar, deputy director, ministry of small and medium enterprises (MSME), Nagaland, among others, participated.
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