District Industries Centre, Mokokchung workshop focuses on marketing, packaging and branding under ODOP
Mokokchung coffee is finding buyers beyond the district, from Shillong, Mumbai and Bengaluru to South Africa. But most growers are still selling individually, with some buyers going from village to village to source small quantities.
The fragmented nature of the coffee supply chain was a key discussion at a one-day workshop on One District One Product (ODOP) organised by the District Industries Centre, Mokokchung on Wednesday at Sangtemla Community Hall.
B Asangla, General Manager, DIC Mokokchung, said this was the district initiative specifically focused on promoting coffee under the ODOP framework and also the “first major step towards giving our district (Mokokchung) coffee a stronger identity”.
Coffee has been designated as Mokokchung’s flagship crop under ODOP. Both Arabica and Robusta are grown in the district.
Mokokchung has 820 hectares under coffee cultivation across 72 villages, with annual production estimated at 40 metric tonnes, Asangla said.
Resource person Er T Imlisunep, Principal, GITI Mokokchung, said buyers had attributed the coffee’s aroma to Mokokchung’s climatic conditions and surrounding vegetation, describing its scent as “mysterious”. Imlisunep also said Mokokchung coffee has recorded specialty cupping scores above 80.
According to a presentation by Imlisunep, Nagaland specialty coffee is already finding markets in places including Shillong, Mumbai and Bengaluru, while South Africa was identified as an active recurring export market. The presentation also listed the United States and Thailand as specialty coffee buyers, while Laos, Singapore and Kathmandu were identified as pipeline markets, along with Germany, the UAE and Japan.
Both Asangla and Imlisunep pointed to the limited number of Farmer Producer Organisation
(FPOs) in the district and the fact that most growers continue to sell individually. They said stronger farmer collectives could improve growers’ bargaining power and enable them to make collective demands for machinery such as coffee pulpers and roasters.
The need for machinery was also raised during the interaction. A representative of the Land Resources Department said machinery had previously been distributed to farmers, but providing equipment to all growers was difficult because coffee cultivation is spread across 72 villages. He said there was a possibility of investment from the Asian Development Bank, and if that happens, the department would procure and distribute more machinery, although it would not be possible to provide equipment to everyone.
Speaking to this newspaper, Asangla said developing the brand around ‘Mokokchung Coffee’ would require collective collaboration among stakeholders, including the Land Resources Department, Industries and Commerce Department, Cooperative societies, FPOs and coffee growers.
She said this time, the department deliberately focused the workshop on marketing, packaging and branding, rather than being another cultivation-oriented program, and that successful local entrepreneurs were invited because of their understanding of local business challenges. The outcome of the workshop, she said, would determine the department’s next steps.
Atipong Aier, CEO of Aier Bakery and co-owner of Body Balance, spoke on branding and packaging in general, while Alimoa S Longkumer, proprietor of Mascot Store & Cafe, spoke specifically on coffee branding and packaging.
Special Guest, Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Verma, IAS, said ODOP should not be viewed as a government funding scheme but as a convergence initiative requiring all stakeholders to work together.
He stressed that processing would be important, particularly in maintaining product quality through packaging and certification.
