Mizoram’s move to open its doors to locally produced wine could provide the trigger for the Northeast to emerge as India’s next major wine-producing region, with abundant tropical fruits, favourable policy changes and growing demand for softer alcoholic beverages creating new opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs.
Speaking to HospitalityBiz India, Francis Lalmalsawma Sailo, Coordinator for Northeast India, All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA), said the region has the raw material and growing policy support to build a distinct fruit-wine industry, rather than compete directly with established grape-wine markets such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Sailo, who is also a member of the selection committee constituted by the Mizoram government to scrutinise applications for winery and brewery licences, said the recent policy intervention in Mizoram could provide an important catalyst for the development of the sector.
The Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2025 permits the manufacture, possession and sale of wine and local fruit beer made from locally produced raw materials by licensed wineries and breweries. Following notification of the rules, the state has received around 96 applications from prospective wineries across Mizoram over the past year.
The selection committee, chaired by the Excise Commissioner and comprising officials from Horticulture, Commerce & Industries, Food Safety and other stakeholders, has so far recommended 11 applicants for licences, while around 13 others have been cleared subject to fulfilment of specified conditions.
“The whole focus is on value addition of Mizoram agriculture,” Sailo said, pointing out that the regulations require wineries to use raw materials sourced entirely from the state.
While grapes currently account for around 90% of wine production in Mizoram, Sailo, who is also part of a major winery from the state, Hnahlan Winery, believes the bigger opportunity for the Northeast lies in its wide range of tropical fruits. Mizoram is currently the largest grape producer in the Northeast, but the region also has significant production of pineapple, dragon fruit, banana, oranges and passion fruit, among others.
Unlike the established wine-producing centres of Maharashtra and Karnataka, where grapes remain the principal raw material, the Northeast can develop a distinctive fruit-wine segment, he said. Converting surplus or underutilised fruit into wine could potentially generate three to four times the value of the produce compared with selling it as juice, thereby opening a new avenue of value addition for farmers and horticulturists.
Sailo also sees an opportunity in changing consumer preferences. Younger consumers, he said, are increasingly moving away from hard liquor towards softer alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer and flavoured alcoholic drinks. The Northeast, with its availability of raw materials and potential for niche products, could capitalise on this trend without directly competing with the established grape-wine producers of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
However, he believes policy support needs to go beyond licensing. “It needs a hand-holding policy,” he said, pointing to the fact that many prospective wineries are startups and small or medium entrepreneurs. He advocated comprehensive policy covering farmers, entrepreneurs, retailers, training, processing, quality control, marketing and promotion.
Sailo further advocated greater convergence between government departments dealing with agriculture and horticulture, industry, excise and food safety. He suggested that Mizoram consider establishing a dedicated board for the wine sector, similar to the Karnataka Grape and Wine Board, to provide an institutional framework for industry development, promotion and market access.
“We need to develop an ecosystem so that this industry can thrive,” he said.
For AIWPA, building capabilities will also be critical. Sailo said the association is working with the government and is looking at organising further symposia and trade events to help local producers improve their understanding of winery operations, processing and product quality.
With policy support now creating the regulatory opening, Sailo believes the Northeast has an opportunity to move beyond being merely a source of agricultural produce and build a value-added wine industry around its distinctive fruit wealth.
