The Kezoma Village Council, in collaboration with Nagaland’s Department of Agriculture and allied sectors, celebrated the 2nd Millet Festival at Kezoma Village Ground on August 26, emphasizing the crop’s crucial role in climate resilience and food security. Speaking as the chief guest, Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Dr. Zasekuolie Chusi highlighted that millet’s ability to withstand drought, high heat, irregular rainfall, and poor soil conditions makes it uniquely suited for Nagaland’s hilly terrain, where traditional paddy cultivation is increasingly economically unviable. Noting that some Kezo range farmers have doubled their earnings through millet farming, Dr. Chusi urged communities to blend traditional knowledge with modern technologies and explore complementary avenues such as cash crops, animal husbandry, and poultry. Director of Agriculture Sanuzo Nienu praised the movement as a community “reawakening” and promised ongoing state assistance, while District Agriculture Officer Kekhrieletuo Yhome commended Kezoma village for its progressive farming mindset, noting that nearly 98 percent of its paddy cultivation has successfully adopted the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).
