More than 90 entrepreneurs and business aspirants, including a majority of women participants, are attending a two-day workshop on packaging, branding and marketing for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which got underway on August 28 at Sangtemla Hall, Mokokchung Town.
Organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce in collaboration with the Nagaland Industrial
Development Corporation Limited (NIDC), the training programme is being conducted under the
Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) scheme, a World Bank-assisted Central Sector Scheme of the Government of India.
According to the organisers, the Mokokchung programme has attracted participants from Mokokchung,
Zunheboto, Longleng and Tuensang districts, of which 62% are women entrepreneurs. They noted that the strong turnout of women was “heartening and encouraging” as the scheme aims to empower local entrepreneurs and strengthen their competitiveness in both domestic and global markets.
The resource panel features professionals from different fields: Aslam Ahmed and Jaydip Lahkar of Sigma Design India; Ranjit Baruah, Founder of Aromica Tea, and P Dhanabir Sharma, CEO of Northeast Unexplored (NEUx). Their sessions cover brand strategy, creative and digital marketing, sustainable packaging, and entrepreneurship, alongside one-on-one mentorship and interactive discussions.
In her address, special guest, B Asangla, General Manager of District Industries Centre, Mokokchung, called the initiative a timely support for the state’s entrepreneurs. She pointed out that while many business owners in Nagaland recognise the importance of branding and packaging, they often lack access to technical know-how and guidance to apply it effectively.
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“As government officials and experts, we share a common role—that of being enablers,” she remarked, urging the trainers to simplify technical concepts and share practical lessons. Quoting a line she once heard at a training programme, she said, “If the product’s value is not communicated to the customers, it will be like winking your eyes in the dark. You may know it yourself, but others cannot see it.”
Encouraging participants to make the most of the opportunity, Asangla described entrepreneurs as the “backbone of the local economy” and urged them to use the two-day sessions as a platform to learn strategies that could shape their businesses in the long term.
The programme will run till August 29, with sessions on brand fundamentals, packaging design principles, packaging materials, sales and distribution channels, customer retention, digital assets, content marketing and growth strategies.
