Hon’ble Ministers from north-east States, Vice-Chancellors of Universities, senior Government officers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

 I am delighted to be present here to participate in the 19th regional committee meeting of north-eastern States. My warm welcome to each one of you present in this hall this morning.

 Agriculture has been traditionally the main occupation of the people of the north east. Agriculture and allied activities continue to be a major source of livelihood for the people of this region and thus priority needs to be accorded to the development of agriculture as one of the key factors in a broad based regional planning process.

 The farmers of the north-eastern region are exposed to a unique agro-climatic sub-region that witnesses topographical constraints such as slope feature, high rainfall, increased soil erosion, soil acidity, low productivity and high insect-pest infestation. Moreover, the hilly terrain of the region does not permit at each place agricultural mechanization.

 As opposed to the hilly terrain in the upper region, the option of resorting to input intensive agriculture fortunately remains open at certain places in lower foot hills where technologies could increase the productivity.

 
 It is observed that over 60% of the soil in this region is acidic. Experts are of the view that the treatment of the soil with mixture of lime may result in an increase in productivity of soil and also improve efficiency of the system. Could we avail of the benefits of such studies?

 The north-east region is a bio-diversity hot spot which also include agro bio-diversity. Could such natural endowment be utilized by integrated and systematic farming practices which can bring in higher yields to the famers?

 While  the age long farming practice such as “Jhum” cultivation may remain for some more time, the emphasis therefore may be centered around traditional agro eco-system and natural forest and fresh water eco-system linked with village eco-system so as to enhance profitability to the farmers.

 Livestock and cattle breeding could be another source of income.

 In low lying areas, fish based farming systems could be promoted to meet the nutritional requirements and to increase the farm income of the farmers.

 
 Similarly, resorting to organic mode of food production could enhance farm prosperity as the organic produce and products are sold at a premium.

 Sikkim has taken a big step in this direction by declaring itself an ‘organic State’ by 2015. A ban on use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is already in place. New ways of seed production, soil testing and corrections through organic supplements, are being adopted. We work for promotion of integrated farming systems, protection of local varieties of maize, paddy, and organically grown ginger.

 
 Horticulture including floriculture is emerging as important source of income generation for farmers. Strawberry, pineapple, passion fruit and orchids are specialties and there are several success stories of farmers in these areas.

 It is our ambition to send Sikkim’s flowers to adorn houses and conference centres in different cities of India and the world. Upgrading the skill of the stakeholders is needed to develop entrepreneurship in this field. 

 Given the natural resources in the region and rich traditional knowledge base of the ethnic communities, it is important to improve upon the traditional agro-forestry being practiced in the form of home gardens. This will not only help in food production, but also ensure carbon sequestration, a process that would mitigate the climate change in the region over a period of time.

 There is no limit to growth. The corollary is that there should be no limit to the agricultural success stories in the north-east region.

 Several questions come to one’s mind:

• Have we developed high yielding variety of paddy seeds which can raise the level of productivity to global standards in Brahmaputra Valley, Barrak Valley and Manipur Valley?
• Seed production and storage is a problem in most of the region owing to high altitude. How do we address this problem with a view to secure high productivity? Have we made adequate arrangements to keep seeds of different varieties within the region?
• Is there scope to increase the productivity by judicious and balanced fertilization?
• Could we resort to double cropping in mid-altitude and low-land eco-systems?
• Have we developed shallow and deep tube-wells to meet irrigation needs for the rabi crop in the area? Or whether irrigation policy and agriculture policy are disjointed?
• Is our credit policy fully supporting our agriculture policy?
• Could we take a fresh look on agriculture supply chain that would secure farmers a remunerative price?

 I understand that a new Central Agricultural University is to be established in the region and the existing universities and colleges are being strengthened.

 I trust and believe that the Central Government, ICAR, State Governments and all other concerned agencies would function in unison to make the region usher in an agriculture revolution.

 The very presence of the Hon’ble Ministers, Vice-Chancellors of Agricultural Universities and the senior officers from the respective State Governments speaks volumes about their commitment and concern for the sustainable development of agriculture sector in the north-east.

 Having served the people of this region for a very long time, I have become an admirer of their enormous capacity to rise up to the challenge of change accelerated by unprecedented transformation in demography, technology and methods of governance. I am sure they will adopt modern agricultural practices suited to their genius once put before them in a convincing manner.

 In that spirit, I now declare this Committee Meeting open and wish it a grand success towards evolving roadmaps and frameworks for future research and development in the larger interest of the region.

JAI HIND