In a major boost to local agriculture and food self-reliance, the Arunachal Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board (APAMB) has launched ‘Mission Arun Himveer’ to facilitate the bulk supply of fresh vegetables and fruits from high-altitude farmers to personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) stationed across the State.

The initiative was flagged off with the dispatch of the first consignment of locally grown vegetables to the 59th Battalion of the ITBP at Nafra in Bichom district. The district’s Deputy Commissioner, Bopai Puroik, flagged off the consignment and described the initiative as a bridge between the region’s “hard-working farmers and the valiant personnel guarding our borders.”

Under Mission Arun Himveer, APAMB will procure farm produce from local farmers, self-help groups, farmer-producer organisations (FPOs), and cooperatives and deliver it directly to ITBP units across the State, ensuring freshness, fair pricing, and timely delivery while reducing reliance on long supply chains and intermediaries.

“This is a model of mutual support and self-reliance,” said Puroik, adding that the initiative would promote sustainable rural livelihoods in the State’s remote and terrain-challenged regions.

Mission Arun Himveer is the second such farm-to-forces initiative in Arunachal Pradesh, following the launch of ‘Mission Krishi Veer’ in 2022 to supply local farm produce to the Indian Army and other paramilitary forces.

Arunachal Pradesh, with over 1.17 lakh farmers cultivating approximately 5.4 lakh hectares, produces more than 330 tonnes of fruits and 390 tonnes of vegetables per day. However, only 8-10 per cent of the armed forces’ daily demand—estimated at 17 tonnes of fruits and 23 tonnes of vegetables—was met by local producers until 2022, with the rest sourced from other states such as Assam, Bihar, and West Bengal.

Officials said Mission Arun Himveer would help boost that share by providing consistent market linkage and improving income stability for farmers in high-altitude and remote regions.