Reported by Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Monday launched the Rs 175-crore “Coffees of Nagaland” mission, an ambitious initiative aimed at transforming Nagaland into India’s premium speciality coffee destination through a cluster-based value chain model.
Calling it “not merely a Whole of Government approach, but truly a Whole of India approach,” Scindia said the mission seeks to bring together farmers, entrepreneurs, processors, exporters, tourism stakeholders, and branding experts to create a globally competitive coffee ecosystem for the state.
The mission will initially focus on two pilot coffee clusters — Tuophema village in Kohima district for Arabica coffee and Ghotovi village in Niuland district for Robusta coffee, with plans to strengthen the entire coffee value chain from plantation and processing to branding, traceability, exports, and tourism.
Scindia said the initiative aims to position “Coffees of Nagaland” as a premium single-origin brand in domestic and international markets, backed by media campaigns, trade fair participation, and experiential coffee tourism.
“The true success of the initiative will be reflected when ‘Coffees of Nagaland’ secure premium shelf space globally while ensuring higher and sustainable incomes for coffee-growing communities,” he said.
Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar said the programme would integrate organic certification, GI tagging, and digital traceability to improve farmer incomes and connect the coffee sector with experiential tourism.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio described the project as a milestone in the state’s agricultural diversification strategy, noting that coffee cultivation has emerged as a sustainable alternative to shifting cultivation in several districts.
Officials said the cluster-based model is expected to improve quality, productivity, value addition, and market access, while also generating livelihoods and encouraging rural youth participation in Nagaland’s emerging coffee economy.