Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Ramdas Athawale laid the foundation stone for ‘Naga Mandi’ at Seithekhema-A, Chümoukedima on Friday, in presence of chief minister Neiphiu Rio, Agriculture adviser Mhathung Yanthan, and JD(U) legislators and Rural Agro Farms LLP mentor Jwenga Seb, among others.
The Naga Mandi is an agricultural initiative of RAF LLP in collaboration with the Agri department. The facility, covering 10 acres, will include designated areas for grain (Anaj) and vegetable (Sabji) markets, aimed at enhancing agricultural trade, providing modern amenities, and boosting the state’s agrarian economy.
Delivering his message at Niathu Resort after laying the foundation stone, Athawale expressed his admiration for Nagaland, dwelling particularly on its organic products, which he hailed as one of the state’s greatest strengths. On the importance and benefits of the Naga Mandi project, he described it as a key initiative for Nagaland’s agricultural sector. He said that Naga Mandi would serve as a major hub for wholesale trading of agricultural products.
He disclosed that the project would include 110 retail outlets for traders, 10 warehouses with a combined capacity of 4,000 MT, two auction yards to facilitate transparent trading, and cold storage units with a capacity of 500 MT each.
He said it would also have accommodation facilities for farmers, including both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rooms. Athawale mentioned that the Naga Mandi project was expected to generate significant economic benefits for the state, including boosting local economic growth and farmer income, creating direct and indirect job opportunities, improved market efficiency and agricultural development, enhancing quality control and empowering farmers, optimising supply chains and promoting community development, increasing access to financing and market intelligence, etc. He urged farmers from other districts to take advantage of Naga Mandi, adding that similar facilities would be established across other districts soon.
Delivering a short speech, advisor Mhathung Yanthan termed the project a significant milestone for the people of Nagaland, particularly the farming community.
He acknowledged state’s untapped potential in agriculture and hoped that this initiative would help address long-standing challenges in the sector.
He called for collective support to ensure the success of Naga Mandi. In his short speech, JD (U) legislator and RAF LLP mentor Jwenga Seb described Naga Mandi as more than just a marketplace, terming it a transformative platform that would help Nagaland’s farmers overcome challenges related to marketing their products.
He also highlighted the paradox of Nagaland’s rich agricultural potential while the state continued to import products from outside. He said Naga Mandi would aim to resolve these issues by encouraging farmers to produce on a larger scale and ensuring they receive fair prices for their products.
Delivering a brief note, RAF LLP managing director Abhijith Sahoo provided an overview of Naga Mandi’s infrastructure, and expressed his optimism for the project to be completed within two years.
The programme was chaired by Department of Agriculture’s joint secretary Ketsukha Kath, and welcome address was given by RAF LLP director Anoseng Seb. A folk number was also presented by Khutso sisters.