SHILLONG: Meghalaya has tremendous potential for generating huge revenue from spices but the potential is yet to be explored in the true sense.
In the absence of proper policies and avenues for marketing, the farmers in the State are in the dark on the value of their products and also how to market their goods directly to the importers.
Speaking during the inaugural function of the two-day Spice Festival, the first of its kind in Meghalaya, being organized at the All Saint’s Hall here on Tuesday, East Khasi Hills District Horticulture Officer P.S. Kharnaior asserted that locally grown spices of Meghalaya like ginger and turmeric have high demand in the global market but as of now the market is being exploited not by the deserving farmers but by the middlemen or small time traders.
As many as 20 stalls have been set up in the festival showcasing the different variety of spices found in Meghalaya ranging from turmeric, ginger, black pepper and others.
The festival is being organized by the Directorate of Horticulture, East Khasi Hills, in collaboration with the Spice Board in Shillong with an objective of opening up a different avenue for the farmers of the State to market their goods.
A local farmer from Sohryngkham, Kitboklang Warsong, while highlighting the problems faced by farmers like him, mentioned that the government should act by considering regulation of the prices of the spices in the market.
He also stated that the spices do not have a fixed rate in the market, thereby discouraging the local farmers as they have to drop the rate real low to be able to sell their products to the traders.
Principal Secretary in charge of Agriculture, M.S. Rao, maintained that for the past 15 years, the State was aware of the tremendous potential of this sector but not much was done to push this sector forward.
He observed that there is a need to draw a realistic strategy roadmap over a given timeframe with an aim to reach to the next level as far as promotion of local spices was concerned.
