Unlocking Nagaland’s agri potential through innovation & collaboration

October 6, 2023 52 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 6

Nagaland is approximated to have 65,000 hectares of potential agricultural area, out which only around 600 hectares is said to have been utilized/cultivated. Now, a Gurgaon-based company— Zetta Farms is making inroad with the objective of optimising farming on the available agricultural land. The company has tied up with a local cooperative— Toka Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MPCS), operating out of Dimapur, to take the vision forward.

The two entities jointly addressed a press conference in Dimapur on October 6 revealing their venture in the state’s agro and allied sector.

Rituraj Sharma, founder and CEO of Zetta Farms said that his company is dedicated to revitalizing the agricultural ecosystem by leveraging existing resources while concentrating on the foundational level. According to him, Zetta Farms is operating in more than 12 states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, he said that more than 500 farmers are already benefiting from a stable monthly income.

He said that Nagaland, with its diverse agro-climatic conditions and topography, is suitable for growing multiple food and non-food cash crops that includes aromatic and medicinal plants and rubber.

“Our primary strategy revolves around crop diversification based on agro-climatic zones,” Sharma said, while stating it also includes development of feed for piggery and poultry and the creation of an agro-processing industry.

He said that the primary objective is transforming traditional farming practices by injecting and establishing a corporate environment for optimising farming and ancillary activities.

According to him, the key to transforming farming lies in recognizing each farmer’s skills and leveraging it by creating a comprehensive ecosystem that includes market linkage and processing units.

The company’s activities are designed to increase farmers’ income and bring structure to the farming sector where independent small farms are unified or inter-linked as one collective entity, while the farmers retain ownership.

Functioning as an “aggregator” he said that the company’s strategy revolves around crop diversification based on agro-climatic zones. By unifying small independent holdings into collective efforts, he said that it creates economies of scale, thereby maximising agricultural output.

While stating that its activities are designed to increase farmers’ income and bring structure to the farming sector, he said that the approach is especially vital in Nagaland, where a substantial portion of agricultural land remains underutilized.

He reiterated that Zetta Farms seeks to address the challenges faced by farmers comprehensively. For instance, in terms of perishable produce like tomato from Longkhum in Mokokchung and kiwi from Kiphire, which are hidered by market limitation, the company seeks to bridge the gap and reduce wastage.

Unlike “contract farming,” Sharma said that its strategy ensures compensatory mechanism where the farmer is compensated in the event of crop failure or a farmer is unable to dispose a harvest.

The company has introduced a scheme known as the Zetta Rozgar Yojna, through which it provides employment to one person for every two acres of land. This program offers individuals a monthly guaranteed income, alongside insurance, child education, and pension benefits. We will be sharing profits with the farmers. No corporate till date has created a pension scheme for farmers. We want to treat our farmers are krishi warriors. We want to have a collaborative approach,” Sharma said.

According to Kathi Chishi, Secretary and Managing Director of Toka MPCS, the target is to identify potential areas starting with 6000 acres, with the potential for expansion over time. He approximated that the agricultural land in Nagaland has the potential to generate over Rs 1000 crore in revenue per 10000 acres over the next 20 years.