Available at Urban Oasis and Unique Bakery, with plans for Vishal Megamart; to be sold at Hornbill Festival stall; prices start at Rs 250 for 70g
Jemdangang, a natural organic green tea cultivated in Wameken Valley under Tuli Subdivision, Mokokchung, entered the local market today, November 26. The product is now available at Urban Oasis and Unique Bakery, and is being proposed for retail placement at Vishal Megamart and other stores. It will also be available at a stall during the Hornbill Festival and is expected to reach Kohima stores from next Monday.
Priced at Rs 3,500 per kg, Jemdangang is also sold in 70-gram packs at Rs 250.
According to cultivator Lima Longchar, the name Jemdangang was coined five years ago by Mrs Sentila, wife of Rev Dr Mar Pongen. He noted that although the tea is grown organically, the product cannot yet be officially labelled “organic” as certification requires a three-year process, which is currently underway.
Sharing the background of the project, Longchar said the farm is located about one kilometre from the Tuli railway station and is collectively cultivated by three families: 2 hectares by himself, 1 hectare by Lanu Atsongchanger, and 1 hectare by Rev Dr Mar Pongen, General Secretary of the NBCC.
He recalled that the group had initially debated between planting arecanut or agar but decided on tea cultivation.
“From the first day we started organic and registered on Tea Board of India, Jorhat,” he said. Though the farm has been running for eight years, plucking began only last year. Due to the lack of an organic-certified factory in the region, they had been sending their leaves to non-organic units for processing. However, he said, they have been incurring a lot of losses.
After exposure visits to places including Jorhat, Guwahati, etc., the team developed a handmade machine and began small-scale trial production.
Speaking at the launch, Rev Dr L Kari Longchar lauded the initiative, saying it was encouraging to see such an enterprise taking root in a state that has long relied on other states and the Centre.
“With all the resources that we have, it is embarrassing that we are still a state that begs,” he remarked, urging people to work hard and expressing hope that despite challenges, the effort “will work out well.”
RECAP | Jemdangang: Mokokchung’s new organic tea set to hit markets soon
In an emotional statement, cultivator Lanu Atsongchanger said it was “a day that the Lord has made for me.” Reflecting on the journey from working on the ground to adding value to the product, he credited Lima Longchar and his family for their relentless hard work.
Well-wisher and friend Meyisupong also shared his thoughts, noting that the achievement was made possible “because of sweat and hard work.”
The producers said Jemdangang aims to enter the international market in the near future.
