ITANAGAR, Sep 26: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (Retd) KT Parnaik visited the Naara Aaba Winery at Hong village in Ziro Valley on Saturday and interacted with its founder Tage Rita Takhe and members of the winery team.
The Governor commended Takhe for her entrepreneurial journey and for transforming a local agricultural resource into a recognised brand. He described Naara Aaba, an organic kiwi wine enterprise, as an example of innovation, perseverance and value addition based on local resources.
Appreciating the winery’s contribution to the rural economy, Parnaik said value-addition initiatives could strengthen the agricultural ecosystem by improving returns for farmers, reducing wastage and creating employment opportunities.
He noted that Arunachal Pradesh is among the leading kiwi-producing regions of the country and said enterprises processing local produce could help create sustainable market linkages for growers.
The Governor also observed that the winery has contributed to promoting tourism in the Ziro Valley and has helped showcase the state’s agricultural and entrepreneurial potential beyond the region.
Highlighting Arunachal Pradesh’s natural wealth, biodiversity and horticultural resources, the Governor called upon the youth to embrace innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-driven value addition.
He said local strengths could be converted into sustainable enterprises that generate employment and livelihood opportunities for communities. He expressed confidence that the success of ventures such as Naara Aaba would encourage more young entrepreneurs, particularly women, to take up enterprise development.
Takhe briefed the Governor on the winery and its evolution as an agro-based enterprise. Established with the aim of creating a market for the region’s kiwi produce, the winery has developed market linkages for growers and generated livelihood opportunities for local farmers.
The Governor wished the Naara Aaba team continued success in promoting local products, supporting farming communities and taking the state’s agricultural produce to national and international markets.
The enterprise was founded to address the challenge of unsold kiwi fruits and has since created sustainable market linkages for growers across the region.