Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC), Satinder Kumar Bhalla, on Friday visited Tuophema Village to review the progress of coffee cultivation and associated infrastructure under the Coffee USP Project, calling for an integrated approach involving production, mechanisation, processing, value addition and market linkages to raise the incomes of farmers and strengthen the coffee economy.
During the visit, Bhalla inspected coffee plantation sites and the Hi-Tech Coffee Washing Station and interacted with coffee growers and members of the Tuophema Cluster.
Bhalla said the Government of India was committed to the development and prosperity of every citizen and noted that the Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States had collectively evolved strategies aimed at enabling farmers to substantially enhance their incomes.
He said the Coffee USP Project was envisaged not merely as a plantation initiative but as an integrated livelihood and economic development programme that could enable villages, societies and clusters to derive greater value from the natural and human resources of the region.
According to Bhalla, the larger objective was to create sustainable livelihoods and enable communities to access better education, healthcare, modern amenities and an improved quality of life, thereby contributing to the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
He stressed that coffee development could not be confined to planting coffee trees, stating that the sector would require good road connectivity, modern processing machinery, efficient post-harvest infrastructure, quality assurance, value addition and strong market and export linkages to become commercially viable and competitive.
According to a DIPR update, Bhalla expressed hope that the project would lead to a substantial increase in the incomes of farmers and communities, but emphasised that this would require coordinated efforts by the Government of India, Government of Nagaland, Coffee Board, local administration, farmers, technical institutions and the private sector.
He also urged the Government of Nagaland and the Coffee Board to engage with relevant central agricultural institutions to identify suitable intercrops and complementary agricultural activities that could be undertaken in coffee plantations. Such diversification, he said, would improve land productivity, provide farmers with additional income sources and strengthen the overall economic viability of coffee cultivation.
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Assuring farmers that their field-level challenges would be examined, Bhalla said possibilities for water harvesting, mechanisation, new technologies and appropriate equipment would be explored. He also encouraged the local administration to engage with leading industrial houses, investors and exporters who could potentially support mechanisation and automation in the coffee sector through suitable financial and institutional arrangements.
Recognising the role of young people in developing the coffee sector, Bhalla appreciated Vibei Kense, the youngest coffee grower, who had travelled to Vietnam and obtained specialised certification in coffee. He said such initiatives could help build local expertise and strengthen the coffee ecosystem in the region. He also urged the elders and the present generation to work towards creating sustainable livelihoods and opportunities for the younger generation.
Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner, Government of Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, IAS, while interacting with the farmers, highlighted the history of coffee cultivation in Nagaland. He noted that coffee cultivation initiatives in the State dated back to 1981, but the sector had not been able to realise its full economic potential due to limited awareness, inadequate market linkages and other constraints.
Sema encouraged farmers to adopt a diversified and integrated approach, including the cultivation of black pepper and other suitable crops alongside coffee wherever technically feasible. He said diversification and value addition could strengthen farm incomes while creating additional employment opportunities for local youth.
Village Council Chairman Pfuduolhou Kense, speaking on behalf of the coffee growers and people of the Tuophema Cluster, welcomed the NEC Secretary and visiting officials and expressed gratitude to the Government of Nagaland and NEC for supporting the cluster with coffee saplings and financial assistance.
Kense highlighted the major challenges confronting coffee growers, particularly the shortage and high cost of labour for weeding and harvesting. He sought support for brush cutters and suitable harvesting equipment to reduce dependence on manual labour and improve efficiency.
He also raised the issue of inadequate water for irrigation and post-harvest processing and requested support for water harvesting structures, storage tanks, irrigation facilities and other appropriate water-management systems. He stressed that adequate water availability would be critical for maintaining coffee productivity and quality, particularly during dry periods and post-harvest processing.
The Secretary, NEC, was accompanied by Dr Sentitula, IFS, Director (Tourism & Industries), NEC; the Director and Additional Director of the Department of Land Resources, Government of Nagaland; and a team of officers from NEC and the concerned departments.
Short speeches were also delivered by Dr Sentitula, Director, Tourism and Industries, NEC; Hekato N, Additional Director and Project Director, Coffee of Nagaland USP; Albert Ngullie, CEO, SLNA and Director of Land Resources; and Dr Menuosietuo, District Project Officer, Kohima, Land Resources Department.
The visit provided an opportunity for direct interaction with farmers and assessment of field-level requirements for strengthening coffee production, processing and value addition. Discussions focused on developing an integrated coffee ecosystem encompassing production, water management, mechanisation, processing, quality improvement, market access and diversification, with the objective of creating sustainable and higher-income livelihood opportunities for communities in the region.
