The North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, inaugurated a Common Facility Centre (CFC) at New Chümoukedima village, Chümoukedima, Nagaland. This state-of-the-art facility has been established under the PM-DevINE scheme of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) as part of NECTAR’s “Livelihood Improvement Project – A Value Chain on Utilization of Banana Pseudostem for Value-Added Products.”
The CFC is aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods, skill development, and value addition through agricultural waste utilization, with a particular focus on empowering rural communities across Northeast India.
The event was graced by Chanchal Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of DoNER as the Chief Guest. Several other dignitaries from central and state departments, including senior officials from the Ministry of DoNER, Government of Nagaland, and representatives from developmental institutions, were also present and expressed their support for the initiative. Former minister of Nagaland, Doshehe Y Sema was also present in the event
Another key highlight of the event was the formal launch of an organic biofertilizer derived from banana pseudostem sap – a product developed under the same project to provide eco-friendly fertilizer alternatives for farming communities.
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Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Director General, NECTAR, delivered a detailed presentation showcasing the broader objectives of the PM-DevINE project and NECTAR’s portfolio of livelihood-oriented technological interventions across the Northeast. He highlighted how this specific project addresses a critical gap in agricultural waste management by converting banana pseudostem – typically discarded as waste into different useful and marketable products, including natural fiber, biodegradable sheets, and handmade paper.
He emphasized that this model offers both environmental and economic benefits and can be replicated across other regions and crops with similar challenges.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NECTAR and The Entrepreneurs’ Associate (tEA) based in Nagaland, formalizing their collaboration for implementation and operation of the CFC. The MoU outlines joint responsibilities for technology demonstration, community mobilization, training, and enterprise development.
During this event about 100 farmers from 20 different clusters of Peren and Wokha district, Nagaland have actively participated. The program also included distribution of training materials and Vasundhara soil organic testing kits to beneficiary farmers from Nagaland.
