The Nagaland Bio-Resource Mission on December 6 flagged off its first commercial consignment of Zanthoxylum (Michinga/Tomar) seeds to Dabur India Limited (North East Unit), Tezpur, Assam – a development seen as a significant step in integrating Nagaland’s indigenous bio-resources into India’s formal herbal economy.
The flag-off at the SIRD Office Complex, Kohima marks the first time Nagaland has entered a structured buy-back arrangement with a major national healthcare company. Officials described the event as a milestone for the state’s rural economy, which has long depended on scattered, informal trade of medicinal and aromatic plants despite abundant natural resources.
Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen, IAS, speaking at the ceremony, called the initiative “a program of substance where one can see something tangible and concrete,” noting that Nagaland holds tremendous potential in medicinal plants and herbs. He said the Nagaland Bio-Resource Mission was established precisely to optimize this economic value. Over the past decade, the mission has catalogued medicinal and aromatic plants across the state – a step he described as crucial for commercialization.
Through an MoU with Dabur India under a buy-back arrangement, the state hopes to transition from scattered household-level use to organized cultivation. Imchen pointed out that Zanthoxylum is widely grown and consumed across Nagaland, with both leaves and seeds used locally, and said it has strong potential for scaled trade.
However, he also delivered a frank assessment of the production gap. Dabur had sought 10 tonnes of Zanthoxylum, while Nagaland could supply only 1.5 tonnes in its first consignment. Calling it “a lesson for all of us,” he said the state urgently needs to increase volumes. “Nagaland grows many crops, but we are not able to produce sufficient quantities for people from outside to come and buy from us,” he remarked.
He urged entrepreneurs and progressive farmers to adopt scientific cultivation, ensure quality, and produce at scale to meet market demands. Appreciating Dabur India for partnering with the mission, he said he hoped the initiative would lead to “bigger things in the future,” including the commercialization of other indigenous plants and herbs.
Narayanan Renganathan, Head of the Central Procurement and Planning Division (CPPD), Dabur India Limited, New Delhi, said Dabur, a 140-year-old company founded as an Ayurvedic enterprise continues to rely heavily on medicinal herbs as its core resource. “The company’s bread and butter are basically medicinal herbs,” he stated, crediting the farmers who have supplied herbs to Dabur for the last 140 years.
He noted that medicinal herb cultivation has long been unorganised across India but praised the recent efforts of state governments to streamline the sector. “In the last few years, we have seen that governments have taken a lot of effort in promoting medicinal herb cultivation and incorporating best practices,” he said. Dabur, he added, has been providing planting materials, farmer training, and agricultural support to strengthen cultivation.
Renganathan shared that Dabur is already sourcing 10 metric tonnes of produce from farmers in Arunachal Pradesh and expressed optimism that Nagaland too can scale up. “Today we are flagging off with one truck. Soon, I wish to see one truck leaving every month, followed by one truck every week,” he said, assuring farmers that Dabur would provide planting material, training, and marketing support.
He further pointed out that collaboration need not be limited to medicinal herbs. Dabur, which also owns Badshah Masala, consumes large quantities of spices and is exploring opportunities in the Northeast. He also highlighted potential in pineapple processing. Although the region is known for its pineapples, “there is no major processing industry here, and so we are buying pineapple pulp from other places,” he said, adding that Dabur would be willing to partner if local supply and processing facilities are developed.
Team Leader, Bio-Resource Mission, Dr Kruolalie Tsúrho outlined the decade-long journey leading to Nagaland’s bio-resource commercialisation efforts.
Following the flag-off, a Stakeholder Conclave was held at the SIRD Conference Hall, Kohima, where Dabur officials interacted with government departments, farmer groups, and mission partners on quality standards, supply-chain requirements, pricing, and long-term procurement plans for Zanthoxylum and other medicinal plants.
The initiative is expected to increase farmers’ income and promote commercial cultivation of bio-resources across rural Nagaland, positioning the state as an emerging supplier of premium herbal raw materials. With the first consignment dispatched, the Nagaland Bio-Resource Mission aims to build a sustainable value chain for indigenous species and open new livelihood opportunities.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary flagged off the consignment in the presence of senior officials from Dabur India Limited, representatives from the state government, entrepreneurs, and farmers.