Nand Kishore Yadav said the Made in Nagaland initiative can drive inclusive growth by connecting local talent, traditional skills and indigenous products with national and international markets.
DIMAPUR — Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav on Tuesday said the "Made in Nagaland" initiative has the potential to become an engine of inclusive growth by connecting local talent, traditional skills and indigenous products with national and international markets.
Yadav was speaking as the special guest at the inauguration of the Made in Nagaland Centre at YouthNet, 5th Mile, Chümoukedima, a DIPR report stated.
He said the centre represented an important step towards creating an ecosystem where Nagaland’s creativity, enterprise, traditional skills and cultural wealth could find markets and generate sustainable economic value.
The governor said the state’s indigenous crafts, textiles, agricultural products, food traditions and artistic expressions could become sustainable sources of livelihood when supported by proper market access.
He appreciated YouthNet’s initiative to bridge the gap between local producers and larger markets.
Yadav noted that the first one-stop Made in Nagaland platform was launched in 2018 with 81 entrepreneurs and had since grown to around 350 entrepreneurs and 600 products from across Nagaland’s districts.
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He said the initiative was particularly significant for youth, women, MSMEs and rural communities, stressing the need to encourage young people not only to seek employment but also to become job creators. Entrepreneurs, he said, needed access to skills, finance, mentoring, technology, branding, packaging, digital marketing, market intelligence and markets.
Emphasising the importance of preserving Nagaland’s cultural heritage, Yadav said traditional skills and knowledge must remain economically viable.
He described Made in Nagaland as a potential bridge between tradition and modernity, heritage and enterprise, and local production and wider markets.
He also stressed quality and said the “Made in Nagaland” label should become synonymous with authenticity, quality, innovation, sustainability and trust.
He called for greater attention to quality control, standardisation, packaging, branding, product consistency, supply chains and digital commerce to enable local products to compete beyond the state.
Observing that Chümoukedima, as an important gateway to Nagaland and being close to Dimapur, was well placed to showcase the state’s entrepreneurial and creative potential, he said the centre should serve not merely as a retail outlet but also as a meeting point between producers and consumers, rural enterprises and urban markets, and traditional knowledge and contemporary design.
He said the success of the initiative should ultimately be measured by sustainable entrepreneurs and livelihoods created, women economically empowered, traditional skills preserved and local products reaching markets outside Nagaland.
Advisor for Industries & Commerce and founder of YouthNet, Hekani Jakhalu, said YouthNet was established in 2006 to change the mindset of young people towards entrepreneurship and encourage them to create employment opportunities rather than depend solely on government jobs.
She said the first Made in Nagaland Centre was launched in Kohima in 2018, while the Chümoukedima centre marked the third such initiative. The centre, she said, aimed to showcase the strength and potential of young Naga entrepreneurs and create an ecosystem that would enable local businesses to grow.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and chairman of IDAN, Abu Metha, congratulated YouthNet for creating employment opportunities and providing local producers access to markets.
Metha said YouthNet had emerged as an ambassador of the ambitions and aspirations of the people and was working with various government departments to empower youth and create employment opportunities.
Referring to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly’s unanimous resolution seeking an urgent review and withdrawal of the Protected Area Permit regime in the state, he said such measures could help promote tourism and strengthen the State’s creative economy.
Earlier, YouthNet Director and chief functionary Nuneseno Chase delivered the welcome address.
The programme was attended by Advisor for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Zhaleo Rio, Advisor for Social Welfare Wangpang Konyak, MLA Benei M. Lamthiu, district administration officials, YouthNet members, entrepreneurs and other dignitaries.