Nagaland launches digital agriculture platform as farmers battle post-harvest losses

Kohima, July 8: Nagaland has launched its Unified Digital Agriculture Ecosystem, an AI-powered platform aimed at modernising farming, even as growers in several districts continue to grapple with severe post-harvest losses due to poor market access and inadequate storage infrastructure.

The platform, inaugurated by Agriculture Advisor Mhathung Yanthan on June 7 at the Directorate of Agriculture in Kohima, promises AI-driven market intelligence, IoT-based field monitoring, real-time weather and soil data, and a multilingual chatbot, “Kheti Manu”, to provide farming advisories in local dialects.

However, the launch comes at a time when farmers in Phek, Mokokchung and Wokha are reporting heavy losses as vegetables rot in fields for want of buyers, transport and cold storage facilities.

In Razeba range of Phek district, hundreds of tonnes of cabbage are reportedly lying unsold, while farmers in Mokokchung have recently faced similar problems with cucumbers and potatoes. Wokha growers have also raised concerns over poor market linkages this year.

Farmers say the absence of cold storage and collection centres in major vegetable-producing districts has left them vulnerable whenever production exceeds demand.

“We produced food for the state. Now we are being punished for producing too much,” said a farmer from Zhavame village.

While welcoming the digital initiative, farmers questioned how AI-based advisories would help if there were no buyers for their produce.

“They say AI can tell us what to grow and when to sell. But who will buy our cabbage today? Can the chatbot arrange a truck or connect us to a market?” a farmer asked.

Village councils and farmers have demanded emergency procurement of the remaining cabbage crop, transport subsidies, establishment of cold storage and collection centres, and stronger farmer producer organisations (FPOs) with assured market linkages.

Officials said the new digital ecosystem is expected to improve farm planning, crop management and market intelligence. However, for many farmers facing mounting losses, the immediate challenge remains ensuring that harvested produce reaches the market before it perishes.

The launch has reignited the debate over whether technology alone can solve Nagaland’s agricultural challenges without parallel investments in storage, logistics and assured market access.

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