From Our Special
Correspondent
New Delhi, Nov 3: The Meghalaya government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lulu Group, Hypermarket LLC for the export of Kew Pineapple (Sohtrun) and Khasi Mandarin (Soh Niamtra).
The MoU was signed during the mega World Food India here. The fruits of Meghalaya are highly popular abroad, especially in the Gulf countries.
After the signing of the MoU, Minister for Agriculture Ampareen Lyngdoh said Meghalaya has taken a significant stride towards connecting farmers with international brands for value addition, ensuring that the state’s niche products receive their due recognition in the international market.
The Meghalaya government has already collaborated with various government agencies and international players such as Apeda and Lulu Group to enhance the marketability of farmers’ produce in the international arena, she said.
Inaugurating the programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the unique agricultural produce being exported from remote places of India. With government handholding, this sector has attracted investment of around Rs 50,000 crore from abroad, he said.
According to an official statement, altogether 16 MoUs were signed between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and various companies with a total investment of around Rs 17,990 crore. These include several domestic and international packaged food companies.
“We have achieved notable success in marketing the Geographical Indication tagged Meghalaya Khasi Mandarin and Kew Pineapple in the Gulf Market,” Lyngdoh said.
In order to sustain such endeavours and bolster farmers’ incomes, the Agriculture Marketing Board of Meghalaya has entered into an agreement with the Lulu Group, under the auspices of Apeda and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, to establish a strategic partnership for mutual growth and the promotion of agricultural products from Meghalaya in the GCC countries, she said.
The MoU was signed by Isawanda Laloo, Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, in the presence of the minister and other top officials.
The minister gave the opening remarks at the knowledge session “Building Agri Value Chains in Remote Locations – Lessons from Meghalaya.” which featured panelists from Meghalaya, including three Agri entrepreneurs.
Launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India in 2017, the World Food India programme promotes India as a global destination for food processing and related industries. It aims to showcase the country’s strengths in food production and processing and attract investment and collaborations in the food sector.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries also organised a roundtable discussion on the inaugural day. Co-chaired by Union Ministers Pashupati Kumar Paras and Piyush Goyal, the roundtable was attended among others by CEOs from over leading 70 companies having a presence in the food processing sector.