Improved practices resulting in higher yield

Hailing from K. Basa village under Phek district, Nagaland, Mrs. Vesakholu Rhakho has been practising farming for many years now. She was cultivating potato as well but mostly for self -consumption using low quality seeds. She shares that she had no idea where to procure improved seeds from and that she could not afford to purchase and produced her own seeds. It was only when she received certified seeds from NEIDA and CWWS at a subsidized rate that she started using improved seeds and as expected, the production was much higher. She is happy that she earned an additional income of Rs. 10,000 which has helped in household expenses.
She said “In the past I did not give much importance to using certified seeds or making ridges and furrows in the field. By attending the training organized by NEIDA and CWWS I realized its importance and applied it in my field which obviously gave me better yield.” She also shared that dehaulming was a new technique applied in her potato field and observed that it is effective in increasing the potato size and adds sturdiness to potato skin making a good option for seed purpose in the next season.
She said that in past seed treatment practices were not carried out and traditional method like using a mixture of ash before sowing was practiced. With the new techniques and improved variety of seeds, Vesakholu hopes that for the next sowing season, the shelf life of the seed will increase and the seeds will be pest resilient. She also plans to expand the area of cultivation under potato and double her family’s income.