SHILLONG: Aimed at empowering the local entrepreneurs and farmers, the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) on Thursday conducted a one-day workshop on Value Addition of Piskot (squash)at the SIRD centre at Nongsder in Ri Bhoi.
The first of its kind initiative in the country is being taken up to improve production and marketing of the vegetable crop which is found in abundance but remains underutilised.
The initiative will be a success if there is a commitment and collective responsibility of the community, said Deputy Director, SIRD, BS Rumnong. He also spoke on the business plan to market the product in various forms taking into consideration that chow chow or piskot has got both nutritive and medicinal value.
It may be mentioned that the SIRD has signed a MoU with the Gujarat-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) to implement Entrepreneurship Development Programmes which entails identifications of specific projects for the State and training of 10000 potential entrepreneurs in the next three years.
The SIRD along with the EDI and Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE) is now working on the promotion of Chow Chow or Sechium edule as a viable crop for economic development of the State.
In this regard the SIRD has also identified the villages of Laitkseh and Marngor and few other villages situated near the Rural Technology and Livelihood Promotion Centre, Nongbah Myrdon for the pilot project.
Samples of the fruit have been sent to the Anand Agricultural University and National Chemical Laboratory, Pune for testing the scope for value addition.
Rumnong further