Export of kholar beans highlighted at meeting
Correspondent
Department of Industries and Commerce (I&C) conducted a consultative stakeholders meeting on Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, here in the conference hall of the I&C department on Wednesday.
The meeting was held with participants from various line departments, district administrations, FPOs, cooperative societies and entrepreneurs to discuss on the matter pertaining to state level up gradation plan (SLUP) under the scheme in Kohima.
Presenting the SLUP studies with weakness, strengths, challenges and opportunities of every district in the state, Transgraph consulting, Hyderabad, Dr. Abdul Rahman informed that the basic requirement was infrastructure.
This, he said, included upgradation of small machinery of various processing units which included value addition of several food products.
Dr. Rahman said that during the study, he noticed that kholar (kidney beans) was an excellent crop that was consumed by people in the state, however, it was not exported and was being consumed only within Nagaland. Pointing out the opportunities it held for farmers in the state, he observed that it should be exported outside the state.
Speaking at the meeting, commissioner & secretary, industries & commerce, Kekhrievor Kevichusa said that the meeting was a model for all the schemes as it dealt with state level upgradation, including suggestions from all the assigned departments.
With the initial stage on the way, he informed that the selection of beneficiaries would be out by the month of April.
He urged upon all the departments to work in the right way and publicise it to the rightful Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperatives who were interested.
With the One district one crop (ODOP) agenda, Kekhrievor stated that in order to generate volumes, ODOP was selected as primary product of food processing of the particular district.
He however said that two or three districts could also aggregate together to bring about the quantity as many districts tend to produce similar products across the state.
It may be mentioned that there were 11 districts at the launch of the study, however with the addition of five more, a meeting would be held and the decision to include newly appointed districts under the scheme would be done.
SASRD, Medziphema is the designated host institution for the incubation centre for food processing while ICAR, Jharnapani is the mentor institution, i.e, State-Level Technical Institution (SLTI) appointed by the state for the scheme.
The scheme was launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan on June 29, 2020, and is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector and also to support Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) , Self Help Groups (SHG), and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain.
Director of Industries & Commerce, Hokishe K Assumi, in his welcome address, highlighted the scheme which he was hopeful would bring out more products.
Though there was a lack of coordination, he mentioned that all the departments present in the meeting would help strengthen the state and appealed to all the designated nodal officers to cooperate and carry out their best while performing.
The moderator for the meeting was Mhasiphizo Michael Khezie, Nodal officer for PM FME scheme while closing remark was delivered by Additional director, Vitsutho Nyuthe.
