From right, EATACOL chairman, Tiatemsu, deputy director of IIP Kolkata, Bidhan Das, and YLD director, Sashank Ghatraj, addressing the media at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, Nagaland on Thursday, November 17.
Dimapur | November 17 : With the second ‘Green Revolution’ on the roll, Nagaland state is all set to take its place as the main producer and supplier of organic products – courtesy the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) and Naga entrepreneurs.
A workshop on processed packaging of processed fruits for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs organized by IIP, scheduled on Friday at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, will prove to be a boon for Naga entrepreneurs daring to sell export their products beyond the country.
The first of its kind workshop is sponsored by Ministry of Food Processing Industries and supported by North East Agriculture Marketing Corporation Ltd.
At a press briefing at Hotel Saramati Thursday evening, deputy director of IIP Kolkata, an autonomous body working under administrative control of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, Bidhan Das, stressed on the importance of ‘packaging’ in the commercial world.
“Packaging is the first impression that drives or attracts customers to buy a certain product,” he said.
Bidhan in his opening remark said that India, known as the “Food factory to the world” is also the world’s largest producer of cereals and milk and second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, fruits and vegetables.
“In spite of having all such favorable conditions, the country is witnessed to have great national loss. It is reported that as much as 40% of India’s fresh fruits and vegetables are lost due to improper and unscientific packaging,” he said.
Director of Dimapur-based Yimsean Livelihood Development Society, Sashank Ghatraj, said that whenever Naga entrepreneurs or society wanted to push or market their products outside the state, the main draw back was due to lack of attractive packaging.
“There are so many cottage industries in Nagaland, mostly agro-based. It is high time to change our cottage industry to entrepreneurs and for Naga entrepreneurs to become industrialists,” Ghatraj said.
Urging Naga entrepreneurs to make full use of the workshop, he said that IIP is not only about “packaging” but “visual merchandising,” the by-word in the present commerce that can take entrepreneurs and businessmen to greater heights.
Chairman of the programme, also chairman of EATACOL and leading Naga entrepreneur, Tiatemsu, iterated that “as the face is to the body”, likewise the packaging is to the product.
Dwelling on the local context, Tiatemsu said that if Naga have technical knowledge and skills on marketing of products including packaging, then Nagaland state can take the lead in “organic farming.”
He said that the Saramati apples equal or better in taste to that of the Kashmir apples, are being used by villagers as fodder for pigs due to lack of marketing avenues and unawareness of food packaging.
Citing another instance, the EATACOL chairman said that in 2009, when the Japanese embassy expressed interest to buy 10,000 MT of sticky rice from Nagaland, the state could not fulfill the request due to lack of marketing expertise and packaging.
State agriculture production commissioner & principal secretary, HK Khulu, and director, Central Institute of Horticulture, Dr. Akali Sema, will the chief guest and guest of honour at the inaugural programme of the workshop.
A workshop on processed packaging of processed fruits for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs organized by IIP, scheduled on Friday at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, will prove to be a boon for Naga entrepreneurs daring to sell export their products beyond the country.
The first of its kind workshop is sponsored by Ministry of Food Processing Industries and supported by North East Agriculture Marketing Corporation Ltd.
At a press briefing at Hotel Saramati Thursday evening, deputy director of IIP Kolkata, an autonomous body working under administrative control of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, Bidhan Das, stressed on the importance of ‘packaging’ in the commercial world.
“Packaging is the first impression that drives or attracts customers to buy a certain product,” he said.
Bidhan in his opening remark said that India, known as the “Food factory to the world” is also the world’s largest producer of cereals and milk and second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, fruits and vegetables.
“In spite of having all such favorable conditions, the country is witnessed to have great national loss. It is reported that as much as 40% of India’s fresh fruits and vegetables are lost due to improper and unscientific packaging,” he said.
Director of Dimapur-based Yimsean Livelihood Development Society, Sashank Ghatraj, said that whenever Naga entrepreneurs or society wanted to push or market their products outside the state, the main draw back was due to lack of attractive packaging.
“There are so many cottage industries in Nagaland, mostly agro-based. It is high time to change our cottage industry to entrepreneurs and for Naga entrepreneurs to become industrialists,” Ghatraj said.
Urging Naga entrepreneurs to make full use of the workshop, he said that IIP is not only about “packaging” but “visual merchandising,” the by-word in the present commerce that can take entrepreneurs and businessmen to greater heights.
Chairman of the programme, also chairman of EATACOL and leading Naga entrepreneur, Tiatemsu, iterated that “as the face is to the body”, likewise the packaging is to the product.
Dwelling on the local context, Tiatemsu said that if Naga have technical knowledge and skills on marketing of products including packaging, then Nagaland state can take the lead in “organic farming.”
He said that the Saramati apples equal or better in taste to that of the Kashmir apples, are being used by villagers as fodder for pigs due to lack of marketing avenues and unawareness of food packaging.
Citing another instance, the EATACOL chairman said that in 2009, when the Japanese embassy expressed interest to buy 10,000 MT of sticky rice from Nagaland, the state could not fulfill the request due to lack of marketing expertise and packaging.
State agriculture production commissioner & principal secretary, HK Khulu, and director, Central Institute of Horticulture, Dr. Akali Sema, will the chief guest and guest of honour at the inaugural programme of the workshop.
