SHILLONG: Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) organized a one-day marketing conclave at Rural Resource & Training Centre (RRTC), Umran on Saturday with an aim to bridge the gap between various market actors – the market committee, the traders, aggregators, farmers, value chain group members and supporting institution.
The key objective was to promote networking and partnership between the various actors of value chain players. The program was sponsored under Meghalaya Livelihood and Access to Market project (IFAD & Government of Meghalaya)
The program was inaugurated by Y.R. Mawlong, the EAC-cum-Nodal Officer, Basin Development Unit, Ri-Bhoi district in the presence of the Project Director of GIZ Peter Gross & E. Shanpru OSD, Market Service Division, MBDA.
More than 250 partners, traders, farmpreneurs from across the six districts of Khasi & Jaintia region participated in the conclave.
Thematic panel discussion was held simultaneously on issues related to Market infrastructure, Apiculture, Aquaculture, Organic Farming, and Livestock& Food Processing. The panelist included both officers of line departments as well as organizations from within as well as from outside the state.
The key institutions that participated are Horticulture Department, Agriculture Department, Fisheries Department, AH &Veterinary Department, DCIC, Superintendent of Taxes, Nongpoh SBI RSETI & RRTC, KVIC, MAMB, KHADC, IIE Guwahati, North East Development Society, Arohan Foods, Jeevanksh, Organic Majuli, and SFAC. On the spot counseling on GST and Enterprise Development were also provided to the partners joining the programme.
The program concluded with a session on the promotion of Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) by SFAC. It is noteworthy that MBDA is in the process of incubating FPO’s with the objective of facilitating collective action to address crop management& extension, procurement, sorting/grading, value addition and marketing.
RRTC being an integrated campus offered an ideal environment for the discussion &demonstration of best practices in various value chains. In the backdrop of the Marketing Conclave an exhibition Cum Point of Sales (EPoS)was also organized on the roadside wherein individuals & groups entrepreneurs engaged in food processing, floriculture, handicrafts, handloom etc., also participated actively.