Minister visits Lawsohtun organic farm, pledges central help

SHILLONG: The organic farmers of Lawsohtun, who have been struggling to get due recognition for years now, were appreciated on Sunday by none other than Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
The agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister visited the organic farm in the city.
Spread over 4 hectare, the farm belongs to the Lawsohtun Farmers’ Association and is maintained by 20 households.
Singh interacted with the farmers at the site and appreciated their efforts. He also encouraged them to expand their farm and asked the state government officials accompanying him to provide all assistance to the farmers.
The minister also assured full support from the central government towards promoting organic farming in the state.
The organic farmers have been demanding proper irrigation facilities and a separate market for organic produce for a long time.
Earlier, the minister had asked officials to invest more in promoting organic farming.
In response to his query, the state officials informed Singh that Meghalaya has developed organic farming over 40,000 hectares, covering all the districts and that this practice will complete three years in March 2019. This will enable the state to get the necessary certification for the products of these land.
On Saturday evening, the Union minister reviewed the activities of the Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and allied sectors as well as implementation central schemes for farmers at Raj Bhavan.
The minister was categorical when he exhorted all the officials to submit utilisation certificates on time so that there is no delay in the flow of central funds.
The review meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary KN Kumar, Commissioner and Secretary (Animal Husbandry and Veterinary) Sampath Kumar, Agriculture Secretary MN Nampui and other senior officials.