Entrepreneurship potential of Indigenous food and food products in Nagaland

C. Aochen1, P. Khate Zeliang2, S. Aochen3

1ICAR Research Complex – NEH Region, Umiam, Meghalaya 
2KVK, Peren, ICAR Nagaland Centre, Jalukie
3Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung 

 

Food is one commodity that is always in trend. With the genuine concerns for well-being and good health in the recent decade, everyone is scampering for organic fruits and vegetables, locally-sourced poultry and livestock, local spices and condiments, and medicinal herbs.Food entrepreneurship is one of the viable avenues in demand today. Foods which are native in origin and are traditionally prepared or processed are termed as indigenous foods. And indigenous food entrepreneurship is one fine way to keep our resources and cultures thriving. The wealth of indigenous foods lies in its diversity of flavours, essence, medicinal value and the nutritional benefits that the foods provide. A local entrepreneur’s mind is quite creative and experimental – a variety of new food items and value-added products are added to the market everyother day. No doubt Nagaland has myriads of SHGs, individuals, and agencies, some with already established business, but many more areas of entrepreneurship opportunities are still neglected or nor realized.There are global initiatives like Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) which support and promote local indigenous foods and traditional cooking around the world. The challenge has been against the upsurge of fast foods. Now how do we support or promote slow food culture through entrepreneurship. In this direction, a fewpointers and brief discussions are highlighted here.

 

Current Entrepreneurship 

A brief list of popularfoods in our markets include digestive herbal powders, lemon grass, green tea, soaps, jams and jellies, pickles, fruit wines, a variety of leafy vegetables, local oilseeds like perilla andsesame seeds, fermented soybeans, tea, different variants of bambooshoots, ginger and amla candies, local snacks,millets, scented/pigmented/glutinous rice, different variants of meat and fish etc. And most of the items are not easily perishable. One can find them in most stalls, and while these products have many takers in and outside Nagaland, more potential for export outside the state is still found wanting. Now what we should be looking at nextareneed-based or lacuna-based entrepreneurs– entrepreneurs who come up with innovative ideas to address a certain need or problem in a community or a location.

 

New Avenues

A good fraction of our indigenous population is settled outside the state either for job or studies or other entrepreneurship. Successful local online hubs have come up with a large variant of products from the north east region. In the current local online market for example, a 100g of smoked bamboo shoot costs Rs. 180, 25g of dried Zanthoxylum leaves is Rs. 100; another hundred rupees will fetch25 g of dried Colocasia leaves, and a bunch of Naga garlic (lasung) costs Rs. 140. The online values of non-vegetarian food items are even higher. With taxes or shipping charges if applicable, the final price will be evenmore.And though the costs may sound a little exorbitant, the prices are actually at par with other local organic commercial markets. The organic market rates of different vegetables in nearby Meghalaya as well as in the organic state Sikkim is high that a common man has to resort to the regular and cheaper items. The value of these organic foods, processed with great care, is beginning to sink in only at recent times. A kilo of our beloved squash (chow chow) at INA market in New Delhi costs more than a hundred rupees.The vegetable is available in surplus in season and highly relished too.Due to its climate-specific production, its availability off season as well as supply to non-available locations is a challenge. Different value-additions in squash have been reported –in confectionaries formor dehydrated form. In a study, dehydrationof itspieces/shreds at 55-65oC yielded good value added product without compromising much on color and sensory acceptability. In our context, this is not a difficult task to undertake.

 


While the state government has pushed up efforts to set up organic markets, a decline in local farmers selling their organic products in these markets has been reported. The genuine reasons cited by the concerned farmers include the unfeasible transportation which costs more than what they can sell; another reason is the lack of cold storage since most of the fresh products have a short shelf life. Besides, the need for more of media coverage is also highlighted. Lack of post-harvest technologies is resulting in active loss of farmers’ produce, inspite of good production records. A surplus production of a number of our quality organic produce, because of poor marketing strategies/policies,ends up in the dumps, even after being sold at peanuts. Post-harvest interventions are negligible.There is therefore,much scope oftransforming these surplus quality produceinto sauces, ketchups, purees, jams, marmalades, pickles etc.

 


Another commodity of potential is pineapple powder. Dietary powder from pineapple by-product is studied to be a potential functional food ingredient because of its high fibre content and antioxidant potential. Hardly any report on this value addition has come up from this region in spite of our appreciable market. Other products of aesthetic value include potato powder and turmeric powder. Turmeric has already made a mark in Meghalaya with the launching of Lakadong Mission. Cardamom is also a very value-effective entrepreneurship option. In India, cardamom is sourced fromRs. 6000-8000/kg in the dealers market. Our local cardamoms need to be popularized for production,and boost efforts to become a regional player in national and international markets.

 

Getting innovative

Before getting to the product, what catches a customer’s eye -a pretty color, a creative design, an attractive picture, an interesting logo, leak-proof packaging, ingredients and nutrition facts, or usually a combination of all these. An interesting product that was successfully launched in Manipur by Sui Generis is the Lemongrass green tea among other.Not only is the packaging attractive with all the nutrition details, but each tea bag is specially featured with important facts about the culture, indigenous foods, tourist spots etc; indeed a creative product that one would want to gift someone from within or outside the region. Nagaland is also becoming a tourist hub with more festivals and national and international events. While tourists may be vegetarians and non-vegetarians, food is always paramount. Most vegetarian tourists face the problem of adjusting to our regular rustic cuisines since there is not much choice when it comes to our indigenous vegetarian menu. With our rich diversity of organic vegetables and local ingredients, there is a huge opportunity for catering to this need for developing an organic vegetarian menu. 

 


The contemporary world is health-savvy, and the citizens have become very mindful of what they eat or drink. The usual restaurant or eatery in the state normally serves local or Chinese or Indian menu or all.No one usually orders an exclusive salad since it is never in the menu.In most hotels in metropolitan/cosmopolitan cities, a salad is a meal.While a Mediterranean salad may sound farfetched, to set a plate of salad of organic fruits and vegetables on our table is quite feasible. And this food section is another potential area that an interested individual/team can work on. This can be another good option to tide the rise of fast foods. 

 


Basil and lemongrass are medicinal plants which are popular herbal drinks. While lemongrass is not commonly used, basil is integral to our indigenous cuisines and herbal medication. A few fresh sundried basil leaves in a steaming cup of hot water gives off a strong soothing aroma that tastes even more original than Organic India’s Original Tulsi. Besides, there are other aromatic and medicinal plants in our own backyard from which one can produce quality herbal drinks. With the right kind of processing, packaging and publicity, these products have the potential to make their way into the herbal market.

 


An important feature of a majority of the households is livestock, poultry, fishery etc. Livestock provides a good chunk of monetary returns,but rearing them is as tedious as procuring their feeds regularly.Whether it is wheat bran, rice bran, rice/maize grain, feed pellets, protein meal etc., one cannot do without them. Given the number of households rearing them in the state, the market is huge. Except for a few seasonal foliage and weeds, most of the feeds are imported into the state. Meals and pellets are usually a combination of different ingredients that provide carbohydrates, protein, energy, fat, minerals and vitamins.Veterinarians, nutritionists and interested individuals can work together or in tandemto create scope for entrepreneurship in this significant yetneglected market.

 


There is a dearth of entrepreneurs who deals in vegetables and flower seeds/tubers/rhizomes. This is a big lacuna for conserving our indigenous bioresources. The recent years have seen the rise in backyard and terrace gardening. Production of seeds or such is a good opportunity for new entrepreneurs. One needs to be innovative about labelling. Information can be collected easily from the concerned farmers or agencies. Labels may specify locations ofsite-specificpopular vegetables, the local names, time of sowing, and little titbits about how to plant and grow them with a good original picture of the vegetable or flower. Another innovative way that is followed in established agricultural universities or seed agencies is the preparation of seed kit. Each seed kits are packed with different types ofseasonal vegetables/flower seeds along with necessary instructions. Such assemble is cost-effective -the customers get the whole seasonal lot and the sellers also get to sell moreseeds and at the same time encourage growers with new technologies and varieties. 

 


A potential underutilized area is the production of mushroom. It is a good source of plant protein, and has an appreciable global market. The North Eastern region takes pride in the diversity of mushroomsavailablein the region, because of the conduciveenvironment for their production. It is ironic that the mushroom production centres in established universities or even the directorates install different sensors (temperature, humidity)to create the right environment for their production.Trainings on mushrooms are organized regularly both at local and national level. Most entrepreneurs/trainees are also given mushroom production kits and spawns. And a consistent producer is a trainer’s delight; more assistance/trainings/incentives may be given to him to help his business grow. The trainee will in time be certified to become a trainer to train others in the community. Moreover only few common mushrooms have been standardized for mass production or technology transfer. Our state being quite favourable for mushroom production, there is potential for more entrepreneurs to standardize techniques for production of more types of mushrooms. Such developments can lead to established production centres and more sustainable ways of livelihood.

 

Processing them right

Processing local ingredients generally requires an oven and a mixer grinder, or a slicer, and smoke and sun! Standardizing them to get the right procedure, texture, consistency or flavour is important. Working in different batches with different procedures may help in standardizing within a shorter period. With the correct way of processing, the quality and value of products is also not compromised. More insights into traditional processing can also be received from our elders in the community or others who have had the experience. 

 


Customers have become more diligent with the way they procure or consume food. There is no sale day when good quality food is concerned. Quality includes freshness of product, absence of adulterants, unexaggerated true labels, consistency of the quality during subsequent purchases, and food safety license/registration for more validity of quality. What about nutrition labels? For a common food item, one can scourthe many scientific research articles done on the food item, or refer the food database of recognized food or nutrition organizations/agencies like FAO or NIN (National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad) for a general idea of the nutrition content. Food samples can also be analysed for nutrition content by both public and private agencies especially for new unrecorded foods, or unless one needs to verify the superiority of the food in terms of some nutrients. 

 

Getting the product(s) Registered or Certified

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an important autonomous body that provides license/registration certificates to food business operators. Their website (www.fssai.com) has a portal for licensing and registration (www.foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in). Besides, openings for internship trainings throughout the year on food safety and food standards are also available in the portal where interested entrepreneurs can apply for. 

 

The Right Help

Agri-business Incubation (ABI) centres have been initiated in the region under the aegis of ICAR to provide technology, skill upgradation and toimpart training and capacity building to promote viable enterprises and generation of employment opportunities to prospective entrepreneurs. More information can be availed from the ICAR Institutes.Similarly, North Eastern Regional AgriculturalMarketing Corporation Ltd. (NERAMAC) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), also promotes local entrepreneurs in developing and marketing their horticultural products within and outside the region (www.neramac.com). In Nagaland, its zonal office is in Sovima. www.listednl.com, an internet marketing website based in Nagaland, helps local entrepreneurs to market themselves and promote their products and services. Entrepreneurs can also get registered to websites like www.ilandlo.com, www.giskaa.com, www.thenortheaststore.com, www.zizira.com etc. to look for opportunities to network and sell their products. National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) also has many financial schemes for entrepreneurs in agriculture and livelihood(www.nabard.org).Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Limited (MUDRA) loan plan to fund small business activities under manufacturing, service, small business and trade underPradhanMantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) scheme is also already underway in the state. SBI is the convenor bank of Nagaland and necessary information may be collected from its branches across the state. To boost the capacity of tribal entrepreneurs, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has developed a web-based learning and networking system for ST/SC entrepreneurs (www.ciiaagateway.org).