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Thursday / November 7. 2024

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HomePosts Tagged "Government of Meghalaya"
AgroPolicy, Collaborations, Fruits, India, Supply Chain, Vegetables

This agreement aims to enhance collaboration in agricultural marketing and supply chain management in Meghalaya.

The Meghalaya State Agricultural Marketing Board, Government of Meghalaya, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mother Dairy Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). This agreement aims to enhance collaboration in agricultural marketing and supply chain management in Meghalaya.

The signing witnessed the attendance of Conrad K Sangma, Chief Minister, Dr. Vijay Kumar D., IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Dr  Meenesh Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, National Dairy Development Board, Frederick Roy Kharkongor, Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department, Govt. of Meghalaya, Shri Manish Bandlish, Managing Director, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd; officials from the agriculture department and allied departments amongst others.

Conrad K Sangma,Chief Minister, expressed optimism about the MoU’s success, highlighting its potential to establish a long-term partnership. “We are delighted with this MoU, as its scope will enhance logistics, significantly reducing transit time for our produce to reach larger markets.

This partnership seeks to address the major challenges faced by the state and its farming community by enhancing direct market connectivity and improving post-harvest care, with experts from Mother Dairy working closely with the state to upgrade current management practices. The collaboration will also focus on crop research and development, including varietal improvements and productivity, optimizing logistics costs by procuring multiple types of produce, and marketing the ‘Meghalaya brand’ in Delhi. Additionally, the partnership aims to further strengthen the dairy sector, fruit and vegetable value chains, and the organic sector in the state.

Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman and Managing Director, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) said, “Mother Dairy will also support varietal improvement and shelf-life extension to boost productivity along with value-added processing. Dr Shah also stated that NDDB will continue to support empowering farmers by providing them direct market access for their produce. The agricultural products from Meghalaya as well as North Eastern States, most suited to be organic, would definitely be brought into its ambit ensuring better and remunerative prices to farmers he said.

Frederick Roy Kharkongor, Principal Secretary of the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department, Government of Meghalaya, expressed optimism about the association, noting that this MoU is just the beginning of a larger journey. He emphasized that the dairy sector in Meghalaya still has significant potential for development.

Dr. Vijay Kumar D., IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, noted Meghalaya’s recent success in exporting fruits, especially pineapples and oranges, to both national and international markets, with this year’s partnership with Mother Dairy proving highly successful. To date, 12 MT of pineapples have been shipped from the state and sold through various Mother Dairy outlets. “With their outlets across the country, we have seen the success of this partnership and foresee the potential to expand our collaboration in selling and processing our produce, as well as in value chain management for various crops, particularly fruits and vegetables,” he said.

To achieve the short-term goals of exporting pineapples, ginger, and mandarins, three project teams have been proposed to address key focus areas with joint committees from Mother Dairy and the Government of Meghalaya. One team will focus on aligning taste with consumer preferences in the Delhi market by improving the supply chain to ensure the right stage of harvest and proper transportation methods to maintain the distinctive Meghalaya flavor. Another team will work on building the ‘Meghalaya Brand Product’ range, emphasizing its unique selling points in the Delhi market, investing in point-of-sale and media, and planning awareness programs. The third team will explore short-term and long-term business partnership opportunities, identify new products, and conduct R&D on existing products based on business insights.

 Manish Bandlish, Managing Director, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd highlighted the role NDDB plays in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers, uniting them on a common platform. “This collaboration showcases our efforts to connect India’s diverse agricultural heritage with urban consumers, offering a variety of premium produce from across states to discerning consumers nationwide and abroad,” he said. Speaking on the overwhelming response the pineapples from Meghalaya at Safal outlets in Delhi received from consumers, Shri Manish Bandlish also expressed that this initiative will expand and include more varieties from the state such as Ginger, Lakadong Turmeric and GI-tagged Khasi Mandarin.

This agreement aims to enhance collaboration in

AgroPolicy, Floriculture, India

Over 3,000 farmers across the state, covering 500 hectares of waste land, have been supported through Aroma mission.

Meghalaya’s Aroma Mission has emerged as a resounding success in the realm of aromatic plants, spearheaded by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya. Since its launch in 2019, this flagship initiative has been instrumental in transforming aromatic plants into valuable products while promoting sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, with the ultimate goal of doubling farmers’ income and enhancing their livelihoods.

The Meghalaya Aroma Mission has played a pivotal role in promoting aromatic plant cultivation in the state and has achieved significant milestones. Over 3,000 farmers across the state, covering 500 hectares of waste land, have been supported through this mission. Ten essential aromatic plants, well-suited to the agro-climatic conditions in Meghalaya, have been cultivated, and the mission plans to expand the area under aromatic plantations to 1,000 hectares. Wintergreen, lavender, damask rose, and wild marigold, classified as High-Value Crops, have been given priority under the mission.

The Aroma Mission has achieved a production output of 4 metric tons, significantly contributing to the state’s aromatic plant industry. As a result of this initiative, 3,000 farmers have directly benefited, improving their livelihoods and income opportunities.

The Aroma Mission operates thirteen essential oil distillation units in collaboration with women entrepreneurs. These units propagate various plants such as Citronella, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Vetiver, Winter Green, Geranium, and more. Notably, these grasses thrive even in severely degraded lands where other crops struggle to grow. Moreover, their thick fibrous root system contributes to recharging groundwater and springs, and they are also proved to be an efficient soil binder and preventing soil erosion making them ecologically valuable.

Wholeheartedly supporting this initiative, the Chief Minister assured the farmers involved in aromatic plant cultivation of the government’s unwavering assistance to scale up their enterprises. He encouraged them to share their future plans to ensure the long-term success of this business, benefiting both the farmers and the state economically.

To bolster the capabilities of the Byrwa unit, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced additional financial aid from the government for the purchase of machinery. Furthermore, the cultivators are exploring the possibilities of extracting oil for perfume production, expanding their product range.

To ensure the production of value-added products like aromatic and essential oils, the Aroma Mission intends to establish more distillation facilities. The goal is to provide at least one field distillation unit for every 10 hectares of these crops.

As part of this effort, 130 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been formed, empowering farmers and fostering collective efforts in the cultivation and marketing of aromatic plants. Additionally, cooperative societies have been established to facilitate collaboration and resource-sharing among farmers engaged in aromatic plant cultivation. Moreover, the creation of farmer groups has encouraged peer learning, knowledge sharing, and collective initiatives for sustainable agriculture.

Over 3,000 farmers across the state, covering

AgroPolicy, Finance, Foodgrains, India

Government of Meghalaya has decided to provide free premium support amounting to Rs. 4.4 crores, covering both Kharif and Rabi seasons during 2023-24.

The Government of Meghalaya is extending premium support to the extent of 100% towards the farmers of the State for both Kharif and Rabi seasons during 2023-24 under the Crop Insurance Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)”. The Scheme has been made applicable to all farmers of the State growing the notified crops in the notified areas upto 1 acre per crop per farmer.

The vision of the State Government under the leadership of the Chief Minister is to take up a farmer-centric approach in devising a strategy to protect them from the risks of crop failure. In order to support the farmers of the State in stabilizing their incomes against the risks of crop failure, the Government of Meghalaya has decided to provide free premium support amounting to Rs. 4.4 crores, covering both Kharif and Rabi seasons during 2023-24, whereby the premium for the farmers shall be paid by the State Government to an extent of 100 per cent of the premium amount. With over 80 per cent of the population of the State dependent on agriculture, the assistance via premium provides the much-needed cushion to farmers in the case of crop failure.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was implemented in the State of Meghalaya since its commencement with effect from Kharif 2016. The main objective of the Scheme is to provide financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage due to unforeseen natural calamities and events. A farmer has to pay a 2% premium for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops and a premium of 5% for horticultural crops under this Scheme. Farmers have to pay the premium out of sum insured and the remaining premium is paid by the Government on sharing basis between Government of India and the State Government at 50:50 sharing basis. However, the sharing of the subsidy was made to 90:10 basis w.e.f Kharif 2020, in the revamped PMFBY. The Scheme is available to all farmers growing the notified crops in the notified areas including the sharecropper and tenant farmers. The Scheme was made voluntary with effect from Kharif 2020 season.

Efforts to popularize the Scheme and ensure increased farmer enrolment is underway by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in collaboration with the Implementing Agency, the Agriculture Insurance Company which is responsible to conduct awareness programmes from time to time as mandated by the Scheme. The estimated amount of premium support by the Government of Meghalaya of Rs. 4.4 crores is based on the enrolment target of 27,000 number of farmers for Kharif season 2023 and 10,000 number of farmers for the Rabi season 2023-24. The premium support guarantee by the Government of Meghalaya is expected to reverse the extremely low enrolled number of beneficiaries under the Scheme so far in the State and will relieve a significant section of farming households in the State of the risks of crop damage/crop failure.

Government of Meghalaya has decided to provide