DIMAPUR: In a landmark step for horticulture in Nagaland, minister for Women Resource & Development and Horticulture, Salhoutuonuo Kruse, held a meeting with an 11 member delegation from New Zealand and New Delhi to advance the proposed Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Kiwifruit at Pfutsero. The meeting was also attended by Akumla Chuba, commissioner and secretary, Horticulture, along with officials from the department.
The delegation included six technical experts and scientists from the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI), New Zealand—Stephanie Clare Montgomery, Daniel Colin Black, Nicholas Gould, Jeremy Nicholas Burdon, Joy Lorraine Tyson and Steven Robert Green—along with representatives from the New Zealand Embassy, New Delhi, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The team’s primary objective was to set up a weather station at the proposed CoE site in Pfutsero, the first facility of its kind to be established by the Horticulture Department in Nagaland. The station will collect real time data on weather, water and soil parameters to support precision farming and help farmers achieve maximum kiwifruit yields.
Beyond installation, the BSI team will conduct preliminary surveys for the CoE and engage directly with kiwi farmers across Nagaland to assess current practices and identify ways to improve productivity and quality.
Salhoutuonuo expressed gratitude to the delegates for their keen interest in the project and raised the possibility of future exchange programmes, where farmers from Nagaland could visit New Zealand for hands on training and bring back advanced knowledge for implementation in the state.
The Centre of Excellence, the first for kiwifruit in India, is being developed in collaboration with New Zealand, a global leader in kiwifruit production. The initiative aligns with the state’s vision of positioning “Nagaland as the Kiwi State of India” and aims to strengthen farmer livelihoods through science backed horticulture.
