New Delhi, May 18: Union Minister for the Development of the Northeastern Region and Communications, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, inaugurated the cluster-based ‘Coffees of Nagaland’ mission on Monday. The event was attended by Minister of State for the Development of the Northeastern Region Sukanta Majumdar, Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang, and other officials from the Nagaland government, including G. Ikuto Zhimo, MLA and Advisor (Land Resources), along with Secretary Sanjay Jaju from the Ministry of Development of the Northeastern Region.
With a budget of ₹175 crores, the ‘Coffees of Nagaland’ mission has been designed with a ‘whole-of-government approach.’ This initiative considers all stakeholders to ensure that the measures taken align with the ground realities and aspirations of coffee-producing communities.
The mission adopts a cluster-based approach, identifying two pilot coffee clusters: Tuophema village in Kohima district for ‘Arabica’ coffee and Ghathovi village in Newland district for ‘Robusta’ coffee. The initiative aims to address significant gaps in the coffee value chain by integrating aspects such as plantation development, post-harvest processing, branding, marketing, traceability, export, tourism, and capacity building.
The Union Minister emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making farmers real stakeholders in the entire agricultural value chain. Highlighting this collaborative effort, he stated that it embodies not just a ‘whole-of-government’ approach but truly a ‘whole-of-India’ perspective, bringing together governments, ministries, coffee producers, entrepreneurs, processors, branding experts, exporters, and market leaders on a single platform.
Scindia explained that the ‘Coffees of Nagaland’ mission is a comprehensive value chain development initiative aimed at transforming Nagaland from a raw coffee-producing region into a premium, traceable, single-origin coffee economy with a strong identity in both domestic and international markets.
He further noted that the goal of this initiative is to promote ‘Nagaland Coffee’ under the ‘Brand North East’ campaign. This will involve media campaigns, participation in trade fairs, and initiatives that promote coffee tourism experiences. The mission also aims to enhance ‘stay arrangements in coffee plantations’ and ‘farm-to-cup’ tourism experiences in pilot clusters, establishing Nagaland as a unique coffee production destination for tourists.
The Minister stated that the true success of this initiative will be evident when ‘Nagaland Coffee’ secures a special place in both domestic and international markets, ensuring sustainable income for coffee-producing communities across the state. He reassured farmers and stakeholders that the government is fully committed to creating a world-class and competitive ‘specialty coffee ecosystem’ for Nagaland.
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