Altogether 132 stalls have been set up for government departments, local entrepreneurs, and international representatives from Japan and Bangladesh to showcase their products at the ongoing second edition of the Nagaland International Trade Expo (NITex) that began at Senden Riju, Purana Bazaar here on Friday.
This was disclosed by Business Association Nagaland (BAN) assistant manager Limeka Chophi to Nagaland Post on Sunday.
Of the total participants, 72 are registered under Udyam MSME through BAN.
The stalls are offering an array of products, including handloom items, locally sourced organic wines, local cuisines, etc.
Besides government departments, Chophi said participants from diverse sectors, local entrepreneurs, traders, automobile experts, agriculture entrepreneurs, financial institutions, startups, and skill-based entrepreneurs were participating at the five-day expo.
He claimed that there had been a considerable increase of visitors on the third day of the expo on Sunday, and anticipated more visitors in the remaining two days.
Meanwhile, among the standout participants, there is 23-year-old Imlisunep. Born with cerebral palsy, he was seen showcasing his special talent in painting with his mouth. His paintings depicted scenes of nature and semi-traditional artifacts of Nagas.
He told this reporter that painting on A2 canvas size took him almost a month, and acknowledged his family for being his biggest supporter since he started his artistic journey in 2020.
Another noteworthy participant is ISTI Nagaland of Mulong Pongen. Formerly belonging to aviation sector, she began her journey with herbal-based beauty products by undertaking research since 2014.
She said she gave up her career in the aviation sector and decided to return home after being inspired by her mother who had paid much importance on natural and safe means for skin care as she grew up.
In 2019, she started her home-based products, which subsequently took proper shape through customer feedbacks and product reviews.
While highlighting the challenges in her venture to date, Pongen lamented that there was no industry in Nagaland, for which she had to deal with other companies for packaging bottles and glasses, which added to her expenses.
Amongst her several products, her prominent fast-selling items included moisturisers for which she uses perilla seeds, black rice extracts for foaming facewash, and fish mint for mist. She mentioned that the raw products were sourced from the locals from different districts based on availability.
Skills training centre or recruitment platform ARMS Incorporation from Japan was also participating at the NITex.
ARMS Incorporation’s Kughakali Zhimomi revealed that the company provided language training to candidates interested in different sectors such as technical and hospitality, across the world, adding that the end goal was to meet shortage of human resources due to the declining population observed in Japan.
Being new to Nagaland and with just over two years of presence in the state, he hoped that more locals would avail the trainings offered by the company in subsequent years.
LTM Creation headed by Leishisan KV was showing FRP demonstration at the expo. Hailing from Senapati district in Manipur and having operated from Bangalore prior to Covid, KV said his team dealt with contemporary and traditional arts.
The expo also featured Longmi Bamboo Charcoal Briquettes by Bendangmoa Longkumer, specializing in procurement, processing, and marketing for over six years.
Asked about his business, he said he employed around five to six people, while, depending on orders, 15-20 people were hired on contractual basis. He mentioned that he had designated pick-up points for the end product in the major localities in Nagaland and had the final processing plant at Chümoukedima.
Winner of Naga Chef 2023 Lucy Tungoe too is part of the expo. She said the event had given her a huge opportunity to showcase her recipes and cuisines, the main attractions being sumac juice, smoked pork and smoked beef with ingredients found in every Naga household. TK Perfumes too was participating at the five-day trade extravaganza.