Shillong, Nov 10: A team of journalists from Shillong, on a press tour organised by the DIPR, visited the Krime Women Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd. at Damas and floriculture farms at Jonglapara and Bakra-Haluapara in North Garo Hills to highlight community-based livelihood initiatives.
Established on July 1, 2020, the society has 1,480 members organised under 159 Self-Help Groups and 16 Village Organisations. Society president Nancy G. Momin said the initiative began in 2017 when women came together to form SHGs, which later led to the formation of the cooperative.
She said the society extends loans to members to start small businesses. Several members have used the assistance to purchase auto-rickshaws and open grocery shops, tea stalls and other small enterprises. The society also organises awareness and training programmes for schoolchildren.
Momin thanked the Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society, for its continued support.
The team also visited the floriculture farms of Kasan K. Sangma at Jonglapara and Nikre Marak at Bakra-Haluapara, both beneficiaries of the Meghalaya Floriculture Mission engaged in orchid cultivation. Around 1,100 Dendrobium and Vanda orchid planting materials were provided under the scheme, with cultivation beginning in 2025.
An official said the scheme works on a buy-back arrangement, with an empanelled service provider handling capacity building, planting, infrastructure and marketing. Dendrobium stems are graded, with Grade A+ fetching Rs 17 per stem, Grade A Rs 15, Grade B Rs 10 and Grade C Rs 7. The orchids have a flowering lifespan of five to six years, offering sustained income.
