The National Commission for Women (NCW) has initiated a capacity-building program aimed at empowering tribal women in the Northeast to start businesses or work in the Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) sector.
NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma announced this during the two-day Regional Capacity Building Workshop and Conference at the State Convention Centre in Shillong.
"The NCW's focus on capacity building and entrepreneurship for tribal women aims to harness the region's rich biodiversity, comprising over 3,000 plant species, to build sustainable enterprises and foster long-term economic stability and empowerment," the commission maintained.
The workshop, titled “Promoting Entrepreneurship among Indigenous Women of the North East Region based on Non-Timber Forest Produce,” was organised in collaboration with the Meghalaya Biodiversity Board.
Sharma highlighted the significant forest cover in the Northeast and cited the potential for women to increase their income by engaging in NTFP-related activities.
Sharma stated, "This initiative aims to develop strategies for market integration and adoption of relevant technologies to enhance business operations and market reach. We aim to identify bottlenecks, create detailed action plans to overcome value chain challenges, enhance efficiency and profitability, generate innovative ideas for diversifying income streams, and enhance economic resilience and sustainability."
Participants in the workshop included cultivators, collectors, healers, traders of traditional medicine, folk healers, self-help groups (SHGs), NTFP collectors, and farmers.
The conference also brought together key stakeholders from various sectors, including State Women Commissions, line departments such as Forest and AYUSH, and subject matter experts, to develop actionable plans and foster sustainable economic development through NTFP-based entrepreneurship.
The expected outcomes of the initiative include creating a collaborative environment for promoting NTFP-based entrepreneurship among indigenous women in the Northeast, developing strategies for market integration, adopting relevant technologies, identifying and overcoming value chain challenges, and generating innovative ideas for income diversification.
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