SHILLONG May 24: The Jackfruit Techno Incubation Centre, one of the two in the state under the Mission Jackfruit, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Mawdiangdiang, on Tuesday.
The other techno incubation centre is coming up at the College of Community Science, CAU, Tura.
During his inaugural address, the chief minister said that the mission mode programmes of the government are aimed at promoting sustainable rural and urban livelihood that help farmers realise increased income through value addition and access to better markets.
“The Jackfruit Mission was (initiated) to ultimately make sure that the farmers are able to use the product in a constructive manner…and get value out of the Rs 500-crore worth of jackfruit that was going to waste.
Until and unless we can’t convert those products into things that are sellable and make something more out of something we already have, it’s going to be useless,” Sangma said.
The CM also stressed on the role of agri-entrepreneurs as a link in the process of value addition and finding lucrative markets for the finished products.
Stating that the ultimate objective of different programmes being implemented in the agri sector is for the benefit of the farmers, the CM also underlined the need to align the different initiatives to achieve the required results.
“We need to connect the different programmes that are happening. We cannot allow them to work in silos. We need to ensure that we are able to connect the processes together so that we actually achieve something, and the farmers gain something,” he said.
Sangma also emphasised the need to encourage eateries and restaurants to source local products to promote them.
Chairman of Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission, KN Kumar, said that the newly inaugurated centre will act as a common processing centre for jackfruit and provide hands-on training to beneficiaries.
The incubation centre will be a centre for innovation and development of new products from jackfruit, he added.
