The second edition of Meghalaya Pineapple Fest 2024, organised by the Government of Meghalaya, held at the iconic Dilli Haat in New Delhi, concluded today.
The five-day-long festival witnessed the presence of thousands of visitors savouring the State’s organically grown pineapples.
A remarkable sale of 6.5 tons of organically grown sweet pineapples was sold from Day 1 to Day 4 of the Pineapple Festival. Meghalaya exported 9-10 tons for the Pineapple Festival 2024.
Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K. Sangma visited the Meghalaya Farmers’ Market and engaged with farmers and entrepreneurs, exploring the exhibits of the festival.
Sangma underscored the government’s investment of Rs 5.63 crore in infrastructure and Rs 1.39 crore in working capital, with Rs 78 lakh allocated specifically for pineapples until 2023.
These efforts have resulted in tremendous achievements, including the export of 4.36 MT of pineapples to Lulu Group Abu Dhabi. Close to 300 tons are also exported to EU countries after being freeze-dried at the PRIME Hub in Ri-Bhoi District.
Additionally, these initiatives have increased farmers’ income by 30-122 percent, directly impacting 300 plus farmers and indirectly benefiting more than 5000.
The chief minister shed light on significant developments in the pineapple industry and informed that 11 Collective Marketing Centres (CMC) were set up for trading fresh pineapples.
He also informed that 338 Integrated Village Cooperative Societies (IVCS) and 28 Organic Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have been established to subvert the influence of middlemen and price fluctuations in the fresh fruits segment of the market.
With upcoming initiatives like the launch of Agri Response Vehicles, Warehouses, and Farmer’s markets, these cooperatives act as formidable trading partners for institutional buyers and as a capable exporter handling logistic issues.
With the aim of doubling farmers’ income, the government has initiated mission-mode interventions for high-value commercial crops, Sangma stated. These interventions, covering Turmeric, Ginger, Mushroom, Apiculture, Spice, Khasi Mandarin, Pineapple and more, are designed to be holistic, community-centric endeavours with the farmer at the heart of it all, he stated.
He also affirmed the support by the State government to farmer’s collectives with interest-free working capital loans totaling Rs 78.82 lakh have been provided in 2023-24 to aggregate a target volume of 540 tons, eliminating the exploitative practice and, gap funding for logistics while marketing the produce beyond state borders with Rs 8.12 lakh disbursed for trial marketing of pineapple supporting a trading volume of 22.3 tons in 2023.
The establishment of six processing units with a capacity of 1160 tons per year, supported by an investment of Rs 5.63 crore, has enabled the manufacturing of juices, concentrates, and pineapple candies. Sangma also mentioned exploring Community Public Private Partnerships (CPPP) to make the interventions holistic.
Meghalaya is promoting Umdihar IVCS to partner with IQF Pvt Ltd, Karnataka, which is an export-oriented enterprise to set up a frozen fruits processing unit under the CPPP model.
The Umdihar PRIME Hub has processed 400 MT (2023-24) aggregating from 24 Co-operative societies across the state. The individually quick-frozen pineapple cubes are exported to European markets as ingredients in baby food.
The Pineapple Festival has not only highlighted the agricultural excellence of Meghalaya but has also provided a vibrant cultural experience through music and arts and witnessing live performances by Meghalaya Grassroot Music Project (MGMP) artistes – Alive, Leonard H. Syiemlieh, and Ahaia
The collaboration with MGMP artists added a unique and lively dimension to the festival, drawing in crowds and fostering a deeper appreciation for the region’s cultural richness.
