Imphal, April 26: To control the environmental degradation due to mass scale jhumming cultivation in the hilly areas and to substitute it with a new scientific method of cultivation, the State Agriculture Department has prepared and submitted a project proposal of Rs 100 crores to the North Eastern Council (NEC), disclosed a reliable source from the Department.

The source said that although jhumming or shifting cultivation is being practised in the hilly regions of the State since ancient time by cutting and burning down the trees, its impact on the environment was never felt so much then.

But the increase in human population on one hand and over-exploitation of forest resources on the other has brought about an imbalance in the environment and ecology of the State over the years, the source said.

The source predicted that if the same trend continues, there will be acute scarcity of water in the hilly areas coupled with a rise in the temperature level in the valley areas.

The source further informed that the impact of jhumming cultivation on the environment and climatic condition of the State and the need to adopt a new scientific method of cultivation to replace jhumming was thoroughly discussed and highlighted at a zonal conference at the Central Agriculture University, Iroisemba some months back.

The conference was attended by two Joint Secretaries of Union Ministry of Agriculture, the source mentioned.

Taking serious note of environmental impact of Jhumming cultivation, the source informed, the State Agriculture Dept took up a project under Technology Mission to encourage the farmers in the hilly region to plant more fruit trees instead of cutting down trees for farming.

However, as rice being the staple food of the people living in the hills as well, the project could not make any significant change.

Rather with the increase in population, cultivation of rice has been taken up in the hills on large scale.

The source maintained that since Agriculture and Horticulture are two related fields, the two Departments should be combined and entrust the task of looking after it under one Minister only.

Keeping two separate Departments also caused lot of inconveniences in carrying out works, the source informed.

The source said if the proposal submitted to the NEC is approved, the harmful impact of shifting cultivation in the hills would be controlled to a large extend.

When the project is implemented all the cultivable land in the hills would be converted into terrace farming.

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