Seminar for promoting Nagaland coffee, networking and exchanging knowledge

September 24, 2024 10 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 24

The Business Association of Nagas (BAN) will be organising a workshop, with support from the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), for coffee entrepreneurs and growers. The BAN informed that the workshop– Nagaland International Coffee Seminar (NICS) is slated in Dimapur on October 1 and 2.

Nukuzo Phesao, Convenor of the BAN’s Agri and Allied committee, told a press conference on September 23 that the seminar’s focus area will be on knowledge exchange, networking, promotion and sustainable development. “We want to impart knowledge and encourage entrepreneurs, aggregators, and farmers to share their knowledge with other farmers across the state,” said Phesao.

As far as sustainability was concerned, he said, “We want to look at coffee as a sustainable development. We will be discussing about how the coffee that is grown in Nagaland is actually coffee that does not require you to cut trees.”

Despite getting a foothold in recent years, Phesao noted a gap in the state’s coffee industry in terms of production unable to meet demand from outside the state. “As a group of entrepreneurs, we saw this as an opportunity to explore and assist our entrepreneurs, aggregators, various businesses, and so on,” he said.

He said that the BAN believes the upcoming seminar will provide an opportunity for people to connect and understand each other better. With Nagaland coffee already making its presence felt, he said that it has potential to reach a global platform.

He added that there is potential for coffee tourism, in the state, which would be a great way for revenue generation for the growers during the off-season. The BAN has roped in international resource persons from South Africa— Pieter Vermulen, Jaco Janse Van Rensburg and Calvin Botes, as speakers for the 2-day event. Vermulen is a coffee expert, who founded Noble Cause.

Rensburg is a business consultant and entrepreneur focused on coffee. Calvin Bots is the founder of Merkava Coffee, South Africa.

In the roster, there will also be coffee entrepreneurs from Nagaland.

According to Phesao, the seminar will cover topics such as coffee cultivation, processing, roasting, and cafe management, besides holding coffee tasting sessions, which will highlight the unique taste and flavor of coffees from different parts of Nagaland. The coffee production in Nagaland was said to be ranging between 800-1000 kg per day per district.

Lemjan Phom, Convenor, Women’s Standing Committee, BAN, said, “We do not want this seminar to one that’s just organised for the sake of organising, but to make an impact.”