Nagaland to converge activities of agri and allied sector to boost economy: minister

Kohima, May 13 () The Nagaland government hasdecided to converge activities of the agriculture and alliedsectors to improve the economy of the state, which hasdeteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 triggered lockdown, aminister said on Wednesday.

The functioning of the departments of agriculture,horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary, dairy developmentand fisheries lack cohesion, and the state government istrying to make them work unitedly, official sources said.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by ChiefMinister Neiphiu Rio, Agriculture and Cooperation Minister GKaito Aye told .

"More than 70 per cent of the state's population isagrarian. The meeting has decided to come out with properconvergence policies and programme of the agri and allieddepartments, so that the focus will be on improving theoverall productivity of the state," he said.

Nagaland is a resource crunch state with over 92% ofits budgetary allocation comes as funding from the centralgovernment.

"Nagaland is dependent on other states for supply ofessential commodities, but now we are facing the challenge ofCOVID-19 pandemic. The state can be self-sufficient in foodproducts with focused activity," he said. NBSNN NN