Dimapur:
Air cargo service was launched in Nagaland on Tuesday with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio flagging off 111 cartoons of perishable and non-perishable fruits and vegetables including some finished products at Dimapur Airport, the only airport in the state.
The chief minister termed the introduction of Air Cargo Services as a historic occasion for the state.
The service would help the farming community and will ensure timely and efficient transport of their produce to other parts of the country, he said.
Blessed with vast land resources with varied agro- climatic condition, Nagaland has a wide range of potential to produce organic products, Rio said.
Along with the farmers the educated youth showing interest in modern farming with a capacity to produce high quality and valued fruits and vegetables, the air cargo service will be a major boost to reach the cosmopolitan cities where the demands would be huge, he said.
Rio expressed optimism that the farmers as well as the entrepreneurs would take it seriously.
The chief minister said that the agri, horti and allied departments should not only stick to demonstration farm or working on pilot projects but focus on empowering the entrepreneurs to be a partner in the supply chain and should also come to the rescue of post-harvest management like packaging and value addition so that right prices were fetched and the farmers were duly benefited.
He said, “that unless farmers are stable and rich we cannot say that our society is strong”.
Stressing on the challenges ahead, Rio said that the farmers should produce consistently and the produce should reach the air cargo station in the quickest time with least cost and at the same time maintaining the quality.
Regional Executive Director, Airports Authority of India, North East Region, M Suresh and Advisor for Horticulture and Border Affairs, Mhathung Yanthan were also present at the programme.
