Many a times on various platforms, cutting across academic as well as political, it has been exhaustively deliberated that Arunachal’s agri-horti potential is great. Winning of the prestigious first prize devised by Spices Board for attaining high productivity in cultivation of large cardamom from among all states by Ajumlu Bellai of Anjaw district has shown that the proposition remains just not in theory, but is well attainable if the government(s) play their respective roles which is essentially and fundamentally that of an ‘enhancer’ of farming efforts. In this context, it will be pertinent to take note of this progressive farmer’s acknowledgement from which it is clear that her success story owes a lot to the backing she received from Spices Board and KVK Anjaw. It should not be viewed just as an usual narrative of a successful endeavour in a glittering platform only since it conveys an important message to be duly taken note by the makers of policies concerning agriculture, horticulture and related matters, that successes beyond expectations can be arrived if there are correct plans of actions and their steady implementation. There are undoubtedly many hardworking Ajumlu Bellais in Arunachal who can script similar success stories and it’s time to invest efforts on them.

It is an undeniable fact that that spices are something which are almost intertwined in daily Indian life, irrespective of the people and culinary habits followed. Cultivation and consumption of spices in India are something that will date back to antiquity and now that the world’s taste buds have felt them,  they have reached the kitchens all across world on the inherent strength of their aroma, texture, taste and medicinal value- all of superlative degrees. And it will not be wrong either to claim that India is the world’s spice capital as records corroborate that it is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices with about 75 of the 109 varieties listed by International Organization for Standardization. When it comes to Arunachal, its current ranking in large cardamom production is second in the country and is showing capabilities to reach the top. Not only cardamom, it is a known fact that there is a solid potential in most other varieties too as climate and soil here are extremely favourable along with deep inclination for organic farming, which is undoubtedly the most acceptable and encouraged mode of farming today.

The work at hand must be to acknowledge Arunachal’s potential in spices by treating it as a special case and deploy all efforts that are necessary for furtherance of the growth. Only what its farmers  need is redressal of obstacles coming in their way and prolonged governmental support in the process. If done so, the state can easily become India’s spice capital within a short time.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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