ZIRO, 8 Nov: A joint eight-member team from New Zealand high commission and ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare, GoI, winded up their three-day field visit here in Lower Subansiri district on Tuesday.
The team comprising of Daniel Black (field research manager) and Dr. Stephanie Montgomery (programme manager), Chirag Bhatia and Shiva Reddy (MIDH consultants) from the union ministry of agriculture, Wasim Hussain Raja and Supreetha, BG scientists from ICAR Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)-CITH Dirang, and Boker Riba (consultant MIDH) and Benjamin Pertin (DHO Hq.) from the directorate of horticulture, had visited the valley to explore feasible areas to target improvement and development of kiwi fruit production and associate value chain activities in North Western and North Eastern Himalayan region.
Arunachal Pradesh along with Himachal Pradesh had been nominated by the union agriculture ministry to conduct the feasibility study.
In course of their field visits, the team interacted with the farmers in their orchards and also demonstrated training and pruning techniques followed in New Zealand. The team also later visited the Govt. Horticulture Nursery in Ziro.
The eight-member joint team was accompanied by horticulture director Nawa Lobsang, Kime Bune (India Invest), associate professor Tasso Yatung from College of Horticulture Pasighat, Lower Subansiri DHO Hibu Dante, SDHO Tasso Yallu, HDO Millo Tara and scientist in-charge Kiwi Research Centre, Ziro Tape Gab during the field visit.
The field visits were followed by a meeting with the kiwi farmers held under the chairmanship of DHO Hibu Dante where various issues and grievances faced by kiwi growers were discussed at length. The kiwi experts expressed feasibility of mutual beneficial cooperation between New Zealand and India in kiwi production. They identified the kiwi fruit varieties of Hayward, Monty, Bruno and Allison to be converged and promoted between New Zealand and India as these varieties were feasible and suitable to Indian climatic conditions.
The team also visited the Naara-Aaba kiwi winery and also called on Lower Subansiri deputy commissioner Bamin Nime at Subansiri Sadan.
New Zealand annually produces 558000 MT of kiwi fruits while India produces 6047 MT of which Ziro valley alone produces 852 MT. (DIPRO)
