Shillong, May 30: In a landmark step towards strengthening Meghalaya’s fisheries, livestock, cold chain and rural enterprise ecosystem, the maiden cold storage facility for fish and livestock was inaugurated on Saturday at Mawblei, Shillong.
The facility, with a combined 45 metric tonnes of chiller and freezer capacity, marks a major milestone in creating a structured supply chain network for fish and livestock products across the state.
A significant development announced during the inauguration ceremony was the proposed five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) between North East Development Initiative NEDI and the Fisheries Department, which is expected to be signed shortly.
The newly inaugurated facility is envisioned not merely as a storage unit, but as the foundation of a larger movement to establish a robust fish and livestock supply chain ecosystem for products made by Meghalaya, in Meghalaya, and for markets across the country and beyond.
Somjit Dutta, representing NEDI, said, “This cold storage facility is not merely the beginning of a business collaboration; it is the coming together of the people of Meghalaya to build a shared ecosystem for growth and prosperity.”
According to him, NEDI’s vision extends beyond creating a cold storage chain—which is to lay the foundation for a comprehensive ecosystem focused on capacity building, entrepreneurship development, youth engagement and community participation.
“Through this initiative, we aspire to position Meghalaya as a leading fisheries and livestock hub for the country, creating sustainable livelihoods, strengthening local value chains and empowering future generations to become active contributors to the state’s economic development,” Dutta added.
The event witnessed the presence of stakeholders like industry representatives and 12 distributors from across Meghalaya.
Additionally, nearly 30–35 sub-distributors are expected to join the expanding network, significantly strengthening district-level distribution, local market connectivity and last-mile reach.
The facility is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing storage capacity, minimizing post-harvest losses, maintaining product quality, improving distribution efficiency and supporting local communities engaged in fisheries, livestock and allied sectors.
The vision is to establish Meghalaya’s maiden processing unit for fish and livestock products, creating a complete ecosystem from storage to processing, branding, packaging and distribution.
