In pursuit of secure and sustainable food sources in Nagaland

January 16, 2023 53 Views No Comment

Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | January 16

When Peihauding Zeliang moved to Jalukie town from his village as a young school boy after completing his primary education from GPS Benreu in 2002, a sugarcane juice machine caught his fancy.

It was also at that precise moment that he dreamt of inventing things when he grew up.

Sure enough, he went on to invent ‘Plant Organic Absorption Device,’ ‘Organic Healing Paste’ and ‘Bio-Enhancer’ which respectively absorbs toxic chemicals in the soil, increases the absorption of minerals, and promotes plant growth.

In an exclusive interview with The Morung Express, Peihauding, an alumnus of Kohima Science College, Jotsoma, said that that his company “produces 100% organic Bio-Enhancer exclusively for Floriculture which helps in atmospheric nitrogen for plants, retaining water and balances the ions exchange between plant and soil.”

The company— “Ngurie,” founded in 2018, is translated as “Your Garden” from Zeliang language.

Peihauding’s vision was for all families in Nagaland to have secure and sustainable food sources by “venturing advancement in science and technology in the agricultural sector, besides promoting organic farming in Nagaland.”

He termed his work as “passion drive” by continuing to experiment, research and trying to “figure out things.”

Through Ngurie, he has also endeavoured the manufacturing of organic fertilizers for soil health, plant growth and development in the fields of Agriculture, Floriculture and Horticulture.

The company’s products provide a wide range of organic nitrogen fixation fertilizers, plant growth enhancers and plant Organic Agriculture in solid fertilizers.

“I believe it is a very new product even for the state of Nagaland,” Peihauding maintained, while highlighting that, with the support of the Horticulture Department, he has set up a Green House for his experimental work— to test if his products are working or not.

Going back to his childhood dream, he noted, “I cannot say I have achieved 100% but a part of it. A Startup is not as easy as I thought earlier. There are so many things to learn in the business sector and technical field. So many challenges in management and finance as well…”

“It is not success that I hold, I am still striving for the best of tomorrow, and I just want to say Mark 9:23 which says, ‘Everything is possible to the one who believes’. I believe one day, it will work out. Even if it takes 50 years,” he put across.

Along with some of his friends, Peihauding also founded a coaching centre in Jalukie under the name ‘Kendeu’ and together, they teach students of Classes 8 and 9. They are expanding the centre to Peren.

“I learn myself and encourage students to focus on innovation. Through education, we need to invest in the future generation,” he underscored.

For all his inventions, he also received numerous recognitions including Nobel Prize Series, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat by the Ministry of Biotechnology Government of India (2017);Top 1 position and Best North East Project from IIT Guwahati (2017); Nagaland Innovation Entrepreneur Fund, Entrepreneur Associate (2018); Recognition from Governor of Nagaland (2018);2nd & 3rd Position in Nagaland Innovation Expo (2018/2019); Hero of the State, Startup Nagaland, 2018, Department of Industries and Commerce(DI&C)); Iris Program, Tokyo Japan under Disaster Management and Tree Plantation category (2020); Cohort in Young Leaders Access Program, New York (2020); 1st Position in Lock Down Challenge, DI&C (2020); 1st Runner Up in Startup Nagaland, DI&C (2022); 1st Position, Innovation Challenge in YouthNet Incubation Centre, StartUp Nagaland Policy, DI&C (2022); and North East Green Innovation Award, Hornbill by Quest Alliance and 16 NE CSOs (2022).

Source: https://morungexpress.com/in-pursuit-of-secure-and-sustainable-food-sources-in-nagaland