India: Nagaland to host Tribal Artisan Mela from May 9

Nagaland, India: The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited has recently felt delightful to announce that it will organise a two-day tribal artisan mela in the Wokha district of Nagaland starting on May 9.

The prime objective behind the mela is to find new craftsmen and new products at the sourcing level, as per the update shared by the Federation earlier this week. It further informed that similar mela will also be organised in other districts of Nagaland, including Mokukhung (on 12 and 13 May), Tuensang (on 15 and 16 May) and Phek (on 18 and 19 May).

In order to establish the details for the successful running of the mela, a meeting was conducted on Saturday at the office of the Wokha deputy commissioner with representatives from NGOs, civil organisations, business owners, and the Wokha Chamber of Commerce and Industries, among others.

Anuranjan Singh, a Wokha skill development official, emphasised the mela’s goals and objectives by stating that it will concentrate on increasing the number of tribal producers and items with tribal roots in various communities throughout the northeastern states.

It will also try to encourage people to start their own businesses.

In the mela, he said, artisans can display textiles and handicrafts, metalwork, jewellery, organic foods, and paintings.

In order for the selection committee to choose the items/products and bring them within the purview of the Supply Chain of Tribes India, Singh urged members of the scheduled tribe, SHGs, societies, and farmer-producer organisations to create enough samples of their goods.

After the selection process, Singh said, the products can be placed in retail establishments. He continued, “Product exhibitions will also be held and later posted in the e-commerce portal.”

“This partnership will significantly increase the visibility of tribal goods and improve the opportunities for tribal artisans in the district and the entire northeastern region to earn a living,” the official said.

As per the update, in order to register, the craftsmen must present ST certificates, Aadhar cards, PAN cards, bank passbooks, and passport photos.