- NET Web Desk
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) under remarkable endeavour ‘Trees for Wealth’ has set a target to transform Nagaland into a fruit hub of India by planting and nurturing at least five lakh fruit trees by the end of this year.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, the Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA) founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Neichute Doulo, claimed that its ‘Trees for Wealth’ (TfW) movement launched in November 2019, is a first-of-its-kind to transform the local economy, restore and conserve the environment through the extensive plantation of fruit trees under the motto – ‘Micro by One, Volume by Mass’.
The slogan is based on the unique land holding system and social structure of ethnic communities of Nagaland and Manipur in particular and North East Region in general.
Doulo hoped that “Micro by One, Volume by Mass,” in which one million farmers and individuals planted 1,000 fruit trees on average, would in fact result in one billion fruit trees.
“The widespread plantation of fruit trees by community, governmental, and Civil Society Organizations (NGOs) would turn Nagaland into India’s fruit hub” – he added.
Besides, villagers willing to join the movement must have atleast 50 progressive farmers with proper land, while tEA will provide the saplings for free, besides hand-holding training to nurture the fruit trees.
A mixed variety of fruit trees like – plum, orange, lime, guava, persimmon, avocado, mango, fig, tamarillo (Naga tree tomato), walnut, pears, litchee, etc are being introduced; he said.
Under this initiative various cash crops and spices have been promoted, Doulo said.
“The TfW is an innovation to work with what the people of the state have – land, labour and minimum capital and trigger one trillion local economies without being dependent on the government,” he said, while also expressing optimism that planting one billion fruit trees will add value to reverse climate change.
