Nagaland Urges Women & Youth to Become Job-Creating Entrepreneurs

Advisor for Agriculture Mhathung Yanthan on Thursday encouraged Naga youth and women to move beyond seeking jobs and focus on creating employment opportunities. He called on them to explore entrepreneurship, value addition and modern technology to realize Nagaland’s agricultural and economic potential.

Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth edition of the Women Entrepreneurs Network Nagaland (WENN) Bazaar at Agri Expo, Chümoukedima, Yanthan highlighted the state’s rich natural resources, indigenous products and skilled human resources. He stressed the need to transform these assets into business opportunities, employment generation and long-term economic growth.

Congratulating WENN on organizing its fifth edition, Yanthan highlighted the event’s growth, with participation increasing from 20 entrepreneurs in the first edition to 167. He said the expansion reflected growing interest in entrepreneurship and the rising strength of women-led businesses in Nagaland.

Key Highlights:

• Yanthan urged Naga youth and women to become entrepreneurs and create employment opportunities
• He promoted value addition, modern technology and wider markets for Nagaland’s agricultural products
• He highlighted women’s role in agriculture and encouraged them to start and grow businesses

Government employment will not be sufficient for the dreams of the educated youth of the state and it is imperative that they become job creators, innovators, producers and entrepreneurs, said Yanthan, emphasizing the need to create that environment.

Emphasizing the potential of agriculture and horticulture in Nagaland, he said that Naga king chilli, cucumber, pineapple, kiwi, persimmon, banana, ginger, turmeric, millet, tuber crops, bamboo, honey and traditional food products could be taken to the markets outside the state. He also mentioned possibilities of handicrafts, handlooms, indigenous knowledge and tourism.

He did stress however that production wasn't enough to make income sustainable. Value addition in processing, packaging, branding and digital marketing and building better market linkages, he said, offered the greater economic opportunity.

According to Yanthan, production is not a problem as farmers can produce more when they are given markets and remunerative prices. He emphasized the need for good sorting and grading, noting that a combination of these often led to reduced prices for farmers.

He encouraged the farmers to have a business approach instead of a lifestyle approach to agriculture and more use of modern technology, skills and market intelligence. He stated that apart from satisfying the needs of their families, farmers should strive not just to create surplus crops for consumption but also surplus crops for sale in order to earn consistent cash income.

Yanthan urged the entrepreneurs to think out of the box beyond Kohima and Dimapur to the neighboring cities like Guwahati, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai and other international markets. He said that Nagaland's specialties of agriculture produce and processed foods could be brought to the wider markets and better connectivity could aid in the movement of surplus produce.

The Advisor also emphasized the role played by women in the agricultural value chain, starting from land preparation, sowing, harvesting, processing and marketing. He also said that apart from the benefits for each entrepreneur, women entrepreneurs also bring benefits to the family and the community.

Yanthan, speaking on the occasion of Mahila Kisan Diwas 2026, highlighted its significance in the context of the International Year of the Woman Farmer and its significance of recognizing the role of women in agriculture and enterprises. He appealed to change in the social attitude, which undervalued women's role in decision-making activity and economic activities.

The government was working to establish an enabling environment through programs focusing on production expansion, infrastructure, value addition, market access and financing, training, technology and processing facilities, he said. But he said government assistance could give an enabling platform, and it was the job of entrepreneurs to take the initiative.

Yanthan stressed that aspiring entrepreneurs should not wait for large capital or ideal conditions and should look to start their businesses with small capital, continuously enhance the product quality and gradually establish their businesses.