Scribes visit pineapple farms at Thayong, Tamram
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 17 2024:
A team of All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) along with officials of Horticulture Department inspected pineapple farms at Thayong village under Lamlai AC and Tamram Tangkhul village of Ngariyan under Keirao AC and interacted with the farmers.
The visit was part of the series of programmes conducted by AMWJU in celebration of its year-long Golden Jubilee and also as part of field visit of two-day media sensitisation programme on horticulture schemes conducted by the horticulture department.
The AMWJU team led by president Bijoy Kakchingtabam interacted with farmers of both Thayong village and Tamram Tangkhul village during the field visit.
The AMWJU team first visited Thayong village and inspected pineapple farms located at nearby hills.
The village has around 1,200 inhabitants with 198 households with pineapple farming as the main occupation.
Around 90 percent of the villagers are pineapple growers.
Farmers mainly use organic fertilizers and Vermicompost for growing pineapple.
Though pineapple farmers in Thayong village receive assistance under Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) scheme, they proposed setting up a cold storage and pineapple processing unit in the village.
Thayong village farmer Florence Thayon informed the AMWJU team that she planted around three lakh pineapple saplings on three hill slopes but unable to meet financial requirements of family with the income from selling pineapple alone.
Labourers need to be paid daily wages for cleaning the farms but this problem could be solved if plastic sheets are provided, she said.
According to Florence, MOMA takes up different schemes for farmers including marketing of pineapple during peak season but farmers often encounter fruit wastages, mainly due to imposition of bandh and blockade during peak season.
Such man-made difficulties could be addressed to a great extent if cold storage facility is available in the village, she said, adding that Thayong pineapple farmers would be grateful if pineapple processing unit is established.
Thayong village Khullakpa M Achung Kom also informed the AMWJU team that pineapple plantation in the village started for the first time after the end of World War II and traditional method of pineapple plantation continued till 2015 before MOMA's intervention.
He said that MOMA extended help in pineapple plantation by providing organic fertilizers leading to increase in pineapple plantation in Thayong village.
He also said that pineapple plantation will be developed further if the government provides loan and installs cold storage and processing unit.
The AMWJU team later visited Tamram Tangkhul village of Ngariyan under Keirao AC and interacted with pineapple farmers during which Yelhou-mi Organic Producer Company chairman Somingam Keishing informed that around 530 farmers of 10 villages are working under the company.
He pointed out that the recent hailstorm and heavy rain damaged pineapple grown in 186 acres of land of the company with process underway to avail compensation from the government.
He also said that first crop pineapple for the season had been damaged by the recent hailstorm with the company estimating the loss to around Rs 50 lakh.
During the visit, MOMA assistant project officer Ngangom Vishal told the AMWJU team that the programme was conducted primarily to ascertain how far organic farming has been taken up successfully.
Thayong Organic Producer Company currently has its FPC at Waithou Chiru and accordingly farmers are facing problems in transportation, he conceded, adding that the department is committed to solving these problems and help farmers at its best level.
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