Ato (L) and Hekato Asumi (R) are sugarcane farmers in Zunheboto district, making a living through small scale production of jaggery. In 2016 alone, they have sent 400kg of jaggery to Wokha, amounting to Rs. 40,000 and 600kg to Zunheboto earning Rs. 60,000. Per year, the business has been fetching them a profit of Rs. 3-4 Lakh which helps support their family of five children, four of them in school. In 2013, Hekato won the Best Farmer Award for Zunheboto district from the Government of Nagaland. As a small trader often going to Jorhat, Hekato landed up buying a sugarcane processing unit, using it to produce and sell jaggery—“We got married and had no job. We had to find a way to survive,” says Hekato. Ato, his wife, is from Peren district and they met through business related work. Later, the Department of Agriculture stepped in with seed money to help their business grow, even donating a bigger processing unit in April 2014. The couple is seen here with the same at their residence in Akuhaito village in Zunheboto district, Nagaland. Their jaggery is well known for its quality to traders and connoisseurs alike. (Morung Photo)
