Nagaland Partners With Industree Foundation To Scale Bamboo And Horticulture

Kohima: Nagaland officials signed two major agreements this week to overhaul local agriculture and forestry. The Department of Horticulture sealed a tripartite deal with Natural Fuel India and Gujarat-based Sathwaro Farming Group. The goal: build a sustainable horticulture value chain. They plan to develop pineapple clusters and boost production of kiwi, litchi, rambutan, and spices. Infrastructure plans include cold chain units and solar dehydration tech to feed domestic and export markets.

Simultaneously, the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) partnered with the Bengaluru-based Industree Foundation. This initiative targets the integration of 30,000 smallholder women into the bamboo sector. It falls under the DAY-NRLM Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative. The national program aims to empower one million rural women over five years. Farmers will cultivate bamboo on fallow land. Harvests start in four years and last over four decades. Industree Foundation CEO Neju George Abraham said, "Bamboo is deeply rooted in Nagaland’s culture and holds strong commercial potential."

The partnership aims to secure carbon credits and FSC forest management certification. Industree previously secured this certification for 6,671 farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The group has similar active agreements in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, and Tripura. Industree also manages supply chains for banana and leaf plates in states including Tamil Nadu. NSRLM Mission Director Moa Sangtam signed the agreement in Kohima alongside Theose Thongtsar, M. Rollan Lotha, Dr. Sokishumo Kithan, and Remya Devan.