The Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department should come out with better schemes to encourage Naga farmers and villagers to take up animal husbandry as a profession in order to improve the economy of state, Dr I Longrineken, an MLA, said.
With availability of abundant fertile land, good climatic conditions, suitable topography and abundant fodders as well as good market demand of meat product, both within and outside the state, Nagaland has got ample scope for successful development of Animal Husbandry, Dr Longrineken said.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day officers conference of state's Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry here today.
The Animal Husbandry department, he said, should not only focus on total area covered or the number of population covered, but the prime focus should be on result oriented schemes.
Dr Longrineken is also the chairman of Development Authority of Nagaland and Bio-Resources Mission Nagaland.
"We need to focus more on motivational training of the farmers, encourage them to take up livestock farming as a profession and show them the scope and prospect of economic development through animal husbandry," he said.
The legislator also said that Animal Husbandry could also solve the unemployment problem of the educated youths in the state to a great extent.
He called upon the Veterinary officers to encourage the farmers and villagers to practice large scale farming.
Delivering the keynote address, Additional Director V&AH, Viral Yore said Department farms are the key asset and reflect the technical expertise of the professionals.
However the farms have become a liability for the government instead of generating revenue as they continue to be demonstration farms even after 50 years of the department's existence, he said.
He also called upon the officers and staff of the department to redicate themselves towards successful implementation of the existing schemes.
