Coffee growers in Tuophema have sought support for water management and labour-saving equipment as Secretary of the North Eastern Council (NEC), Satinder Kumar Bhalla, reviewed coffee cultivation and associated infrastructure under the Coffee USP Project during a visit to the village on Friday.
During his interaction with growers and members of the Tuophema Cluster, Village Council Chairman Pfuduolhou Kense highlighted the shortage and high cost of labour for weeding and harvesting. He sought support for brush cutters and suitable harvesting equipment to reduce dependence on manual labour and improve efficiency.
Kense also raised concerns over inadequate water for irrigation and post-harvest processing, seeking support for water harvesting structures, storage tanks, irrigation facilities and other water-management systems.
Bhalla, who inspected coffee plantation sites and the Hi-Tech Coffee Washing Station, said coffee development could not be limited to plantation alone, stressing the need for road connectivity, modern processing machinery, post-harvest infrastructure, quality assurance, value addition and market and export linkages to make the sector commercially viable.
He said possibilities for water harvesting, mechanisation, new technologies and appropriate equipment would be examined to address challenges faced by coffee growers. He also encouraged the local administration to engage with industrial houses, investors and exporters who could potentially support mechanisation and automation in the coffee sector through suitable financial and institutional arrangements.
Bhalla further called for identifying suitable intercrops and complementary agricultural activities that could be undertaken in coffee plantations, saying diversification could improve land productivity and provide farmers with additional sources of income.
Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema said coffee cultivation initiatives in Nagaland date back to 1981 but had not realised their full economic potential due to limited awareness, inadequate market linkages and other constraints. He encouraged farmers to adopt a diversified approach, including black pepper and other suitable crops alongside coffee wherever technically feasible.
Bhalla also acknowledged the contribution of young people to the sector, highlighting Tuophema coffee grower Vibei Kense, who had travelled to Vietnam and obtained specialised certification in coffee. He said developing local expertise would help strengthen the coffee ecosystem in the region.
The visit included officials from the NEC and the Department of Land Resources, Government of Nagaland. Discussions focused on production, water management, mechanisation, processing, quality improvement, market access and diversification under the Coffee USP Project.