Study suggests building of brand Nagaland for agriculture produce

Alice Yhoshu
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 2

There could be good news yet for agriculture and horticulture farmers/producers of Nagaland if the state government pays due attention to the findings of the study on Market Development Assessment for Organic Agri-Horticulture Produce in Nagaland and accordingly take effective measures.
The official report of the study, carried out under the UNDP supported Global Environment Facility (GEF) financed project ‘Sustainable Land and Ecosystem Management (SLEM) in Shifting Cultivation Areas of Nagaland for Ecological & Livelihood Security’ was released in Kohima recently by the UNDP India Country Director, Jaco Cilliers. The report is meant to guide the Nagaland government and other project partners in the state on how to market agricultural produce in a structured and profitable way, and also help local farmers in addressing the challenges they face in marketing their produce.
According to the report, there are significant opportunities for Nagaland in marketing of locally grown products as most of the state’s products are “by default organic and are considered exotic by a growing number of the country’s rich elite”. It observed that Nagaland needs to be built as a brand, citing the example of Kerala, and tap the niche market.
“Niche marketing of select high-value produce could be undertaken and the small surplus could be converted into an advantage. To achieve this, products need to be sorted, graded and packaged attractively under specific brand names, but under the umbrella brand of Nagaland,” states the report. It also pointed out that there is a huge local market for this produce within Nagaland and marketing strategies need to be evolved based on this inherent strength. Attention needs to be given on processing and packaging which would require detailed technical, financial and marketing feasibility studies and inputs, it stated.The report also proposed that Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs) have to be promoted in a big way to avail available opportunities. Stating that there is a huge push by the Ministry of Agriculture and Small Farmers Agriculture Consortium (SFAC) to promote FPOs with financial support, it suggested that the state government should take advantage of the favourable policy environment at the Centre.
The study observes that the organic certification programmes of the state government, if pushed along with FPO programme, could help in linking farmers directly to the market under an organic brand name and could also help them obtain better prices for their produce. Besides the current system of third party certification, it has advised promoting a system of participatory guarantees of organic certification, whereby the farmers themselves can guarantee production. This is being supported by the National Centre of Organic Agriculture and the Participatory Guarantee Systems Organic Council, the report said.
It suggested that the state can consider forming 50 such organizations, covering about 50,000 farmer families who can then be trained and supported by professional staff and organizations.
“The high literacy levels in Nagaland villages are a big advantage since literate youth can be employed in such organizations,” the report says.
The findings of the study, which was conducted in three project districts over a period of 6 months, is expected to help the state government improve its understanding of the current market scenario, as well as to identify strategies for supporting producers and other agencies associated with crops cultivated in jhum fields.
It has been learnt that survey was conducted among 10,436 families in 26 villages along with 101 traders and 134 individual farmers in UNDP SLEM project districts of Wokha, Mokokchung and Mon. While the survey formed the bedrock of the study, the project teams reportedly carried out detailed focus group discussions and visited wholesale and retail markets in Dimapur, Kohima, the three project districts and key roadside markets. Consultations and inputs were also taken from state agriculture and horticulture departments, NSAMB and APMC, CIH and SASRD Medziphema, NERAMAC, ICCOA, SFAC, NCOF, and PGSOC, it was stated, while valuable information was also gathered from key entrepreneurs and NGOs based in Nagaland as well as those outside the NE but with an interest in the region.
Key findings of the study include agriculture patterns, trading systems, cash crop production and sale, changing trends in agriculture and challenges in marketing. Farmers’ feedback for improved marketing and traders’ feedback for business growth was also considered in the report.