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DIMAPUR — The Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA), in collaboration with the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC), hosted the installation and test drive of the IoT (internet of things) device-cum-forging partnerships and securing market linkage event at Thetsumi village in Phek district.
According to a press release, the purpose was to enable weavers to tag their products with a QR code, ensuring authenticity and a proper record of their origin.
Speaking on the occasion, Vekhoneiyi Murao, field operator at NEHHDC, who chaired the event, emphasised the importance of obtaining geographical indication (GI) tags for handlooms and highlighted that 17 shawls from the Chakhesangs received GI tags in recent years.
A presentation on 'IoT devices' was delivered by Imtisenla Longkumer, tEA's FPO coordinator, who explained that utilising IoT device would allow weavers to share their stories with the rest of the world.
It was informed that through this collaboration, tEA verified 823 weavers, including the identification of 620 from the Phek district, of which 160 are from Thetsumi village.
Monmayuri Saikai, executive business development at NEHHDC, explained on the occasion that the IoT device will provide a tag with a QR code, allowing buyers to view details and pictures of the weaver, the type of fabric or yarn used, and a short video of the weaver crafting the product by hand. She said that this will authenticate the product and enable higher pricing, thereby increasing income for the weavers.
Neichute Doulo, CEO of tEA, expressed his gratitude to Brigadier Rajiv Kumar Singh, MD of NEHHDC, for supporting the initiative and helping find deserving individuals.
Doulo noted that the device will authenticate products made by women using loin loom technology and shared his vision of establishing a yarn bank with the weaving communities to produce quality end products at lower costs, foster mass production, and transform the currently niche weaving market.
The programme concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for partnership between NEHHDC, tEA, and eight women weaver group leaders.
The event attracted 35 women weavers from Thetsumi, along with a host of village leaders and community members. tEA and NEHHDC will install the IoT device in Wokha district on May 24.