By George B. Lyngdoh
Meghalaya’s Growing Food Crisis
Meghalaya’s dependence on food imports is reaching crisis levels, impacting both economic stability and household nutrition. Over the past five years, food inflation in the state has risen by over 20%, outpacing income growth for most households. In comparison, India’s national food inflation peaked at approximately 11% in October 2024 before easing to around 6% by January 2025. Meanwhile, neighbouring Assam recorded a food price index decrease to 5.4% in July 2024, down from 9.4% in June.
Malnutrition rates have also been on the rise, with 40% of children under 5 years reported to be stunted or underweight, according to NFHS-5 data. These figures underscore the urgency of addressing food insecurity, malnutrition, and reducing reliance on imports.
Dependence on Food Imports
Meghalaya currently imports approximately 70% of its rice, 85% of its pulses, and nearly 90% of its fruits and vegetables, leading to an annual food import bill exceeding Rs 2,500 crore. Comparatively, cash crops like broomstick and arecanut contribute to less than 20% of total agricultural income, whereas food crops sustain over 65% of small and marginal farmers.
Food price inflation is worsened by infrastructural gaps in the rail, road, and supply chain network. Restrictions on heavy vehicles across the Umiam Dam force trucks carrying essential commodities to take a longer route—from Lad Umroi to Shillong via Mawryngkneng—effectively doubling the travel distance and increasing costs.
Farmers as Entrepreneurs, Not Beneficiaries
A fundamental shift is needed in how we perceive farmers. I have always articulated the need to recognise farmers as entrepreneurs, rather than beneficiaries because they never wait for doles to cultivate their land.
A rice farmer from Ri-Bhoi once stated, “We have always been independent. We grow food because it is in our blood, not because we wait for someone to pay us to do it. What we need is support in better seeds, fair prices, and storage solutions, not handouts.” Recognizing farmers as entrepreneurs, not beneficiaries, is key to reshaping Meghalaya’s agricultural approach.
A Critical Look
at MDA’s 8th Budget
The Hon’ble Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s 8th Budget speech allocated a record Rs 618 crore to agriculture. However, the focus remains on agribusiness and high-value cash crops, ignoring food crop production. While commercial agriculture contribute towards economic growth, food security and nutrition must be prioritized to reduce inflation in food costs & dependence on imports.
The Pitfalls of Cash
Crop Incentives
The CM-ASSURE programme, which provides an assured pricing mechanism for broomstick and arecanut (Rs 50 crore budget), will push farmers further into monocropping. While seemingly beneficial, assured pricing mechanisms can distort markets, encourage price manipulation, and create opportunities for corruption.
Neglecting Organic and Regenerative Agriculture
The budget is again silent on incentives for organic and regenerative farming, continuing to promote hybrid seeds and inorganic agriculture. These imported seeds are often disease-prone, they produce yields with reduced shelf life, degrade soil fertility, and threaten local biodiversity.
Sikkim, India’s first fully organic state, successfully implemented agroecological policies, ensuring food security, market linkages for traditional crops, and subsidies for sustainable farming. Meghalaya must adopt similar policies to strengthen its indigenous farming systems.
Promising Interventions in Food Crop Cultivation
In 2022, the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Upper Shillong, helped Umroi farmers cultivate potatoes in the otherwise fallow winter period, increasing farmer incomes and promoting value addition through processed products like chips. Additionally, recent initiatives in millets and rice varieties have shown promise, but biofertilizers and biopesticides remain inaccessible even within government agencies.
Challenges in Food
Crop Production
Farmers in Meghalaya face geographic and climatic constraints, lack of irrigation and water management, market price volatility, seed and input challenges, and labour shortages. Declining youth participation further threatens the sustainability of agriculture.
Given these challenges, Meghalaya requires a proactive and transformative policy framework to reclaim food sovereignty while aligning with existing government programs.
The Need for a Meghalaya Food Sovereignty Policy
A Food Sovereignty Policy must be introduced to ensure long-term sustainability and food security. The policy should:
= Reduce dependency on food imports by strengthening local food production.
= Protect and promote indigenous farming systems, native seeds, farmer-led research, and food traditions.
= Ensure nutritional security and climate resilience through agroecology.
= Strengthen community-led food governance for equitable distribution.
Roadmap for Meghalaya’s Food Sovereignty
Short-Term (0-2 years)
= Expand CM FARM+ to support key food crops and establish community-led seed banks.
= Recognize Community Land Rights for continued access to traditional farmlands.
= Strengthen local procurement for PDS, school meals, and ICDS.
= Launch pilot village food sovereignty councils to test decentralized food governance and integrate MGNREGA in farm labour.
= Promote agroecology and mixed cropping to balance food and cash crops, with bio-inputs
= Reduce food imports by 10% by 2026.
Mid-Term (2-5 years)
= Increase irrigation coverage from 1.54 lakh ha to 2.5 lakh ha, focusing on small and marginal farms.
= Develop an Indigenous Food Market, promoting traditional foods and experiential tourism.
= Provide incentives for farmers practicing agroecology and regenerative agriculture.
= Integrate indigenous foods into midday meals and ICDS.
= Reduce rice imports by 30% by 2028.
Long-Term (5-10 years)
= Reduce food imports by 50% and achieve self-sufficiency in key staples.
= Introduce a Meghalaya Food Sovereignty Act to safeguard indigenous farming rights.
= Strengthen agricultural financing, directing 50% of state agricultural funds towards food crops.
= Establish Emergency Food Reserves to counter climate shocks and food shortages.
Conclusion
Food sovereignty is not just an aspiration but a necessity for Meghalaya’s survival. Farmers, policymakers, and citizens must work together to reclaim control over indigenous food systems, ensuring sustainability, nutrition, and economic resilience.
(The writer is a former legislator in Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and can be reached at [email protected].)