Mokokchung markets: In transition

 

Mokokchung | February 8 : Most of young educated people of Mokokchung have taken to business entrepreneurship after a space was created in the town after the AKM initiated Survival 2007, an anti-‘mians’ campaign. Three years on since Survival 2007, the shops once owned by the “mians” (illegal immigrants, basically Bangladeshi nationals) have now been taken over by the young educated local citizens of the town.
The businesses which were started small by the young educated people have now grown in its investment and some are even making huge profits by running their own business. Nowadays, smart young local youths stand behind counters and do their business each day. Even ‘lesser educated’ people have found some sort of employment by working as salespersons in the shops owned by other locals.  
In an exclusive interview with The Morung Express at the Longkumer Kilem,  Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce & Industries (MCCI) president Bendangnukshi Longkumer asserted that the Ao Students’ Conference-initiated Survival 2007 was “a blessing in disguise” for the people of the town. Earlier, before the Survival 2007, the shops were run by Bangladeshi immigrants, who directly or indirectly controlled the bulk of daily transactions in the town. This led to huge losses in  the economy of the townspeople since most of the transacted money went outside the state.
However, with  the anti-“mian” campaign, Bangladeshi  shopkeepers were chased out of the town (genuine Indian citizens were left untouched), and the young educated unemployed youths took over the business, a ‘change of guard’ in the market.
The MCCI president said  there is roughly an estimated 4-5 crore rupees of transaction in the market in the town daily. However, thanks to the changed scenario in the town, the money is being circulated among the people of the town, instead of being circulated out of the district.  
“This new batch of blood in business…almost all are educated on whom we have very high hope,” said Longkumer who is also a social worker and a respected figure in the town. He said that the people of Mokokchung have high hopes in the young entrepreneurs to bring about innovative changes in the way of marketing and running business. Most of these young entrepreneurs are conscious of the changes that are going on in the outside world.
However, Bendangnukshi Longkumer lamented the fact that Mokokchung town remains by and large a consumer society with little or no products being produced. He maintained that the young entrepreneurs should explore new ways and take risks to make the town a producer-district, instead of a consumer society.  The MCCI president cited an example of the huge quantities of organic vegetables being produced in various villages of the state’s districts which however cannot be  marketed in the towns  due to lack of  proper transportation and marketing facilities.
Educated youths take to local entrepreneurship
He maintained that the young people should try to bring out new ideas. For instance, vegetables in villages like Longkhum, Longsa or Khar in Mokokchung district can be marketed in places such as Dimapur and Kohima; likewise, the vegetables produced in places such as Phek and Kohima should also be able to reach the markets of Mokokchung. However, on the question of the state government in this inter-district trade and commerce, Longkumer maintained that the people should not solely depend on the government. He said that the government is doing enough like facilitating the young entrepreneurs by their various policies like relaxation of taxes, capacity building and awareness. However, he asserted that it is up to the business community to explore ways to expand their business.  
However, with the shops now being owned by local entrepreneurs and local sales persons, some section of the people are at all dissatisfied with the way in which the shopkeepers deal with their customers.
“Unlike the non-locals, the local shopkeeper does not want the customers to bargain. It is always a take it or leave it attitude on the part of the shopkeeper, which makes the customers feel that they are being charged a high price. After all it (Mokokchung market) is a bargaining market,” said a young shopper in the town, who wished not to be named but who said that he is a commerce graduate. However, there are some shopkeepers who are courteous and deal with their customers nicely, he added.  
One shopkeeper in the town once optimistically commented that as the locals are taking to business for the first time, they are at a learning stage and slowly they would learn the various dynamics of business. He also expressed optimism that the market would become more competitive in the near future and grow, as young entrepreneurs invest more and bring in new ideas into their business enterprise.
“Times are changing,” says Mechung, an MA history scholar from Hyderabad University, “Once, we were just seeking for job. Now we have this business…one day we will be producing. It won’t be a surprise when one of the entrepreneurs install an industry in the district. We are in transition. The good thing is that we are changing everyday…be it market or society…change heralds hope.”
For the moment, it is business as usual in the town, the new multi-crore marketing complex in the heart of the town is nearing completion and is going to be inaugurated shortly. More and more youths are taking more interest in business as the prospects of finding a government job has become bleaker. Besides some are finding running business more interesting than searching for government jobs. But of course the older generation still has the primitive thought of a government job as being the so-called “best” option to earn livelihood. However, in its small way Mokokchung is making a mark – for better or for worse – and finding livelihood through business entrepreneurship, perhaps would herald a period of change.