Naga entrepreneurs attend food processing clinic in Ghy

Thirty entrepreneurs from across Nagaland participated in a three-day Technology Clinic on food processing held from September 2 to 4 at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management – Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T) Liaison Office, Guwahati.
Organized under the theme “Tech Driven Transformation in Food Processing,” the programme was jointly conducted by the Industries and Commerce Department and Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (NIDC) as part of the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) initiative.
According to a press release issued by the Directorate of Industries & Commerce, Government of Nagaland, Deputy Director Er. Keneirienuo T Zatsu stated that the clinic aimed to enhance entrepreneurial capabilities in the food processing sector through technical sessions and hands-on demonstrations.
Clinic 1 was led by Dr. Goutam Das, Assistant Professor, NIFTEM-T LO, Guwahati, who provided an overview of the food processing landscape in India and the Northeast. He highlighted opportunities for value addition in high-value GI crops and underutilized fruits such as wood apple, star fruit, and star gooseberry, along with products derived from cassava, bamboo shoot, mushroom, and cereal-based bakery items.
Clinics 2 to 6 were conducted by Simanta Neog and Udipta Hazarika, covering topics such as pickle and tomato sauce/ketchup processing, vegetable dehydration and candy preserves, lemon products and chips, spice dehydration and chilli processing, and spice-based pastes and chutneys.
Participants received practical exposure to food-grade equipment including electrical tray driers, steam jacketed kettles, ball mills, vacuum sealers, fruit pulpers, and fibre extractors. The training also included guidance on preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to support future ventures.
The programme concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony.