By Our Reporter
Shillong, July 7: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday interacted with the farmers engaged in aromatic plant cultivation under the flagship Aroma Mission initiative, at Byrwa village in Ri-Bhoi.
The chief minister visited the village and lauded the farmers for their remarkable achievements in transforming aromatic plants into valuable products, including essential oils and natural repellents.
Expressing his support, the chief minister assured the farmers that the government would extend all possible assistance to upscale their enterprise. He applauded the efforts of the group at Byrwa, who shared their plans to create perfumes using the extracted oils.
The chief minister met Bestarly Marwein who runs the startup Fountain Green JLG is actively promoting medicinal and aromatic essential oils in the state. The enterprise, in collaboration with women entrepreneurs, operates three essential oil distillation units to propagate various plants such as Citronella, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Vetiver, Winter Green, Geranium, and more.
Notably, all these plants are grown naturally in healthy soil without the usage of chemicals.
In addition to selling oils in bulk, Fountain Green JLG crafts fully natural essential oil soaps, mosquito repellents, mosquito repellent creams, mosquito repellent floor mops, and incense sticks. The startup has received support from PRIME, which provided mentoring, capacity building, funding, and product development assistance.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced that the government would grant additional financial aid to purchase machinery, further enhancing the unit’s capabilities at Byrwa.
This investment signifies the government’s commitment to ensuring value addition and tapping into the immense potential of aromatic plants.
The Meghalaya Aroma Mission, launched in 2019 as a flagship initiative by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, aims to harness the economic and environmental benefits of aromatic plant cultivation. Through this mission, the government is dedicated to supporting local farmers and entrepreneurs in the cultivation, processing, and value addition of aromatic plants.