By Our Reporter SHILLONG, July 7: The state government on Friday expressed concern over the escalating price of vegetables, fruits and other food products and the cascading effect of it on the citizens and pitched for a holistic deliberation by all departments to raise the local production level to meet the demand. “We are concerned and though we are an agriculture based state, the citizens do not want to return back to agriculture as a practice. We have to encourage them so that we have enough home grown vegetables to address our local demands,” Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said on Friday. “It will take time but it is better to start planning now and hopefully things will take shape. The government is learning from various platforms like the G20 but public participation is very important,” she added.