Promoting Economic Growth

Tage Rita tests the quality of her wine, made from kiwi fruit from Ziro Valley. (© Sunny Chetry)

Tage Rita’s wine business, Naara Aaba, is restoring prosperity to Ziro Valley—one bottle at a time.

Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh has long been known for its organic kiwi fruit. Yet the region’s isolation creates transportation challenges that harm the farming business and cause thousands of kiwis to go to waste.

“I saw so much abundance and productivity with fruit and other agricultural products, but there was no market linkage,” said Rita, whose family and neighbors rely on the valley’s fertile land. “Farmers could not benefit. I saw the same story repeated for more than 30 years.”

So Rita, an agricultural engineer, developed a method for turning overripe kiwis into wine. She named her wine Naara Aaba, as her late father-in-law was called. The wine from fermented kiwi can be bottled, transported and sold across India, a solution that reduces crop waste and is economically efficient.

 

Tage Rita (right) inspects fruit on her kiwi farm. (© Sunny Chetry)

“Even the smallest of the fruit can be used in a winery,” says Rita, an alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s Academy for Women’s Entrepreneurs (AWE). Since 2019, the academy has empowered more than 16,000 women in 80 countries with the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses.

AWE has operated in India since 2020, training nearly 600 women like Rita to grow businesses that benefit their communities.

Rita launched Naara Aaba with a feeling of “excitement and fire.” Yet, she quickly realized her lack of business training, particularly in financial literacy, held her back. She credits AWE’s three-month training program with giving her practical knowledge in finance and product pricing. “I needed so much professional help, support and mentoring,” Rita says. “I was eager to learn and am so grateful for this program.”

Her newly learned marketing skills helped make Naara Aaba more popular and profitable. And the company’s growth benefits the Ziro Valley community. Naara Aaba buys from local producers, supporting more than 300 farmers and their families. The company also trains and employs women and at-risk youth.

Rita’s progress in revitalizing the Ziro Valley earned national attention. On March 8, during Women’s Day celebrations, she was among the 30 recipients of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, an award for women working as catalysts for positive change in society.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented Tage Rita the award for her work supporting women’s entrepreneurship and promoting local Indian-made products on international markets. (Courtesy of Tage Rita)

Rita expects to further expand Naara Aaba and use it to launch wine-based tourism and bring more people to the Ziro Valley.

With her determination to succeed—and AWE training—Rita is excited for the future of her business. She encourages other female entrepreneurs to follow their dreams.

“I never imagined that I would receive recognition from the president of India,” she says. “If you have an idea and you want to do something on your own, you should not restrict yourself.”

This article was written by freelance writer Allie Dalola.

Article courtesy ShareAmerica

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