The pineapple season is here. Along the Shillong-Guwahati road, loads and loads of pineapples are being sold to few customers. With a very short shelf life most fruits rot for want of buyers. For decades there have been talks of food processing units to add value to the fruits, vegetables and roots grown in Meghalaya. Nothing has materialised. The only Government unit that’s working and which is part of the Agriculture Department, does not have the capacity to process the growing quantum of fruit that is harvested every year. Privately run processing units are all operating as cottage industries. Going under the brand name of ‘Meg’ the products are yet to make a mark in the markets outside Meghalaya the way Druk or Real or other similar brands have done. Why is Meghalaya so weak and vacillating at implementing such projects which would obviously address the loss caused to farmers?
As a State, Meghalaya has never had a vision. Those elected to govern have short term goals which are aimed at ensconcing themselves in the seat of power after every five years. Those in the Opposition only play politics and the blame game as if that is the beginning and end of their mandate. They have never given a thought to economic development which in turn would create employment outside the government sector. Taking a cue from Prime Minister, Narendra Modi who dismantled the redundant Planning Commission, the Government of Meghalaya too should have the courage of conviction to offload the Meghalaya Economic Development Council (MEDC). The MEDC was created for the purpose of a larger economic vision but has now turned into a dead institution which is used to meet the pay and perks of jobless MLAs from the ruling party. A new, more vibrant institution with experts for charting out an economic vision and a framework for time-bound delivery of the vision needs to be put in place if Meghalaya is to make progress. Otherwise the State will wilt under the pressure of unemployment and of not being able to absorb the produce of the farming community. Politicians across the divide need to thrash out the issue of economic development and come up with pragmatic ideas that are doable in the short, medium and long term.