Watila Longkumer, the founder of Naro Ki from Nagaland, was listed among the 75 successful women entrepreneurs of India in the fourth edition of the ‘Innovations for You‘ coffee table book launched on Thursday by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog.
‘Naro Ki ‘, which translates to “a house of flowers” in the Ao Naga language, started as a fresh flower boutique with the sole purpose of assisting in the marketing of the products — cut flowers from local farmers — and mostly catered to the wholesale market in the region.
However, Naro Ki has evolved from a fresh-flowers-only outlet to a one-stop shop for all things flowers and related accessories; from sourcing flowers locally to establishing relationships with sellers from all over the country, including Ooty, Pune, Bangalore, Nagpur, and the North Eastern states, as well as Thailand and Europe, reported the magazine.
The startup deals with fresh and dried flowers. They buy flowers from farmers of Nagaland, Meghalaya, West Bengal, and Sikkim, and have also created market linkages for the flower growers. Naro Ki has B2B customers who source planting materials, event planning baskets, and accessories from them. As flowers are easily perishable, market linkages are critical and, hence, Naro Ki is striving to strengthen these linkages for the flower growers in the region.
In addition, Naro Ki is working to improve the lives of women flower growers in Nagaland. The startup obtains flowers from local growers and connects them with markets and buyers. Naro Ki provides small flower growers with technical and advisory support, as well as training in modern floricultural techniques. It also provides planting material to the groups and has a buy-back mechanism in place.
According to their website (www.narokinagaland.com), the boutique has also added photography, tie-ups with tent houses, and home delivery services over the years, increasing the potential to tie up with more youths and part-time employees.
“What started as an outlet for local farmers now prides itself in the generation of offset markets as well,” it reads.
According to the magazine, Watila Longkumer obtained her MSc in agrochemicals & pest management from Delhi University and then worked as a technical assistant for the Directorate of Horticulture of the Government of Nagaland. Later, Watila worked as a partner and project coordinator for North Bengal Floritech, a company based in Siliguri.
During this time, Watila came into contact with farmers and learned that there was no proper market for flower growers, and the majority of their produce was being wasted because they could only sell their flowers at church events or weddings.
She initially started as a fresh flower boutique with the sole aim to market the cut flowers of local farmers, but as her clientele grew, Watila started Naro Ki.
The Naro Ki is located at Blend Complex, opposite Pentecostal Church, Purana Bazar, East Dimapur, but with orders pouring in from other districts, the Naro Ki boutique at LCS building, Midland, Kohima was expanded.
The 75 women entrepreneurs are supported by Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) of AIM, NITI Aayog. ‘Innovations For You’ is a Coffee Table Book series with 3 editions being released previously. The book captures success stories of start-ups supported through Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Community Innovation Centres and Atal New India Challenges, three flagship programs under the Atal Innovation Mission.
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