Broomstick farmers of Meghalaya displayed their produce to the rest of the country at the Mahalakshmi Saras Exhibition 2023 in an attempt to connect directly with customers and cut out the middleman.
Hillarius Mukhim, one of the participants and a resident of Mawshut in Ri-Bhoi, represented a farmer producer organisation called Basuba Broom Producer Co Ltd, which markets broomsticks produced by the district’s farmers.
At the exhibition, Mukhim said that he was pleasantly surprised to meet people who used broomsticks but never knew where the raw material came from and his participation at the event was a way to introduce the state’s produce to the rest of the world.
Ibanshan Basaiawmoit, a Meghalayan who lives in Mumbai, said that the producers who are able to sell the broomsticks directly will double their profit as middlemen usually squeeze the farmers by buying their wares at very cheap rates.
“This produce is often bought by Marwaris who squeeze the farmers. But through this exhibition, broomstick producers can meet buyers directly, which will be profitable for the farmers,” a visitor to the event, Rangjit Khongsar, said.
The Mahalakshmi Saras Exhibition 2023 is being held at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Vashi until March 19.