ELEMENT Nagaland Project hosts Off-Taker Meet 2026 in Kohima to strengthen producer-market value chains.
DIMAPUR — A one-day "Off-Taker Meet 2026" on the theme "Connecting producers, markets and technology for a stronger market ecosystem" was organised by the ELEMENT Nagaland Project under Society for Climate Resilient Agriculture in Nagaland (SoCRAN) at Hotel Vivor in Kohima on Wednesday.
Delivering the keynote address, Secretary of Industries and Commerce and Project Director of ELEMENT Kumar Ramnikant stated that Nagaland is recognised as a biodiversity household with rich flora and fauna, where forests, farms, and community landscapes are closely linked to local livelihoods.
He noted that products such as coffee, honey, large cardamom, Naga chilli, black rice, millets, medicinal plants, and wild fruits represent not only the state's natural and cultural wealth but also serve as significant sources of sustainable income, according to a DIPR report.
Ramnikant stated that for communities to derive greater benefits from these landscapes, value chains connecting producers to democratising markets must be strengthened. He pointed out that the project focuses on enhancing landscape-based value chains for economic transformation to support producer groups in aggregation, decentralised coffee processing, centralised honey processing, quality certification, branding, and end-to-end enterprise development.
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He added that the project is leveraging stakeholder support to address identified challenges, noting that value chains succeed only when quality products reach reliable buyers at fair, commercially viable prices.
Addressing the gap between supply and market demand, Ramnikant observed that producers require greater clarity regarding quality grades, certification, packaging, volumes, price benchmarks, delivery schedules, and presentation, while buyers need improved visibility regarding volume and consistency from Nagaland.
He highlighted that the objective of the meet was to create structured dialogue between producers and markets. He underlined that certification partners play an equally important role, as many state products originate from community-managed landscapes requiring practical pathways for certification, quality assurance, and traceability.
He also pointed out that financial institutions can support working capital and investment requirements, calling for convergence around value chains so that government support remains coordinated from the community's perspective while ensuring responsible landscape management.
A PowerPoint presentation on Project ELEMENT and the Off-Taker Meet was delivered by Value Chain Expert of ELEMENT Amarjit Lahkar. An awareness video produced by Dreamz Unlimited titled "Project Awareness" was also released during the programme.