A State-level workshop on Nagaland Food & Feed LINK 2.0 was held at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima on May 29 organised by the Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland.
Special guest of the workshop, MLA, Dr Tseilhoutuo Rhutso congratulated the IDAN, CESF, CLEAN, UNDP, and all partner institutions for bringing together such a meaningful platform for dialogue, collaboration, and action. He said, the workshop represents a larger vision for the future of Nagaland, a future where our villages become centres of productivity, where our youth become job creators, where our farmers become entrepreneurs, and where development reaches the grassroots in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
He stated that, Nagaland is blessed with rich natural resources, hardworking communities, indigenous knowledge systems, and tremendous entrepreneurial potential. However, for decades, many of our rural economies remained disconnected from technology, finance, markets, and infrastructure. The challenge before us is not the absence of potential, the challenge is creating systems that unlock that potential, that is why initiatives like N2FL are important.
The programme, he said is demonstrating that development must move beyond policy discussions and reach the field level. Whether it is food processing, local feed production, coffee value addition, aquaculture, stitching hubs, or renewable energy-based enterprises, these are real interventions creating real impact for real people and these initiatives are community-driven and locally relevant.
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He mentioned that the government under the leadership of the Chief Minister is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for enterprise development, investment promotion, youth empowerment, and livelihood generation. But government alone cannot achieve this transformation therefore, we need partnerships, convergence between government departments, development agencies, financial institutions, technology providers, community organizations, and the private sector. Development today requires collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility.
He also emphasized the importance of credit linkage and enterprise financing stating that many talented entrepreneurs and farmers in Nagaland have ideas and determination, but lack access to capital and market opportunities and therefore our responsibility is to ensure that financial systems become more accessible, responsive, and supportive to grassroots enterprises.
He also mentioned that the role of our youths and women is equally important, the young people of Nagaland are talented, creative, and aspirational so we must create opportunities that allow them to build livelihoods within the State instead of forcing migration due to lack of opportunities. Women-led enterprises, self-help groups, and community institutions are already proving that inclusive development is possible when the right support systems are created.
The future of Nagaland cannot depend only on government jobs. We must build an entrepreneurial economy driven by innovation, local production, value addition, and sustainable enterprises. N2FL 2.0 must therefore become more than a project. It should evolve into a long-term movement for rural economic transformation in Nagaland, he added.
Nagaland Food & Feed LINK 2.0 was built on the foundation created during the 2025 state-level workshop, moving from dialogue and value-chain mapping to field-level implementation, enterprise strengthening, and scale-up. Over the past year, clean energy-enabled interventions across food processing, feed production, fibre-based livelihoods, aquaculture, coffee processing, and credit linkage have demonstrated how decentralized renewable energy can improve productivity, reduce dependence on external inputs, and create income opportunities for rural entrepreneurs and producer groups in Nagaland. N2FL 2.0 will bring together government departments, development partners, financiers, technology providers, entrepreneurs, and community institutions to review progress, identify gaps, and chart the next phase of action. The focus will be on scaling successful models, strengthening market and credit linkages, building local capacity, and creating a practical roadmap for energy-enabled food, feed, and livelihood enterprises across Nagaland.
