Shillong, Jul 25: Former Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh expressed concern over cabbage farmers in Meghalaya being forced to give away produce due to poor market returns, calling it “very unfortunate.”
Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said multiple factors could be behind the crisis and that several authorities share the responsibility of safeguarding farmers’ welfare.
Lyngdoh said marketing of perishable items remains one of the toughest challenges as fluctuating prices often fail to cover production costs. “The one item that is very difficult… is perishable items,” she said, adding that such commodities require a different policy approach.
Appealing to farmers, she urged them to avail welfare schemes introduced by the MDA government. “There has been no government in the past that has come forward with these kinds of buffers and schemes for farmers,” she said.
Expressing confidence in the leadership, Lyngdoh said Agriculture Minister and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma would address the issue. She also called on the KHADC to look into problems at market gates, which she said were “again becoming major concerns.”
On the relocation of street vendors, the East Shillong MLA said the government is taking the issue seriously but delays are due to legal procedures following the Khyndailad evictions.
“We have taken so long because… there are laws that have become active and are governing,” she said. A platform has been provided to stakeholders, and hawkers have been notified to move to designated vending zones.
She said the government has complied with laws protecting hawkers’ rights and does not intend to “snatch away” livelihoods, but stressed that public rights must also be respected. “Even the people of Laitumkhrah have rights in the constitution,” she added.
The remarks come amid ongoing efforts to decongest commercial areas in Shillong and relocate vendors to designated zones.
