Tura, April 22: Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma, on Tuesday, inaugurated a new honey processing centre at Chandigre, located at the foothills of the Nokrek Range under West Garo Hills. The event was organised by the District Commerce and Industries Centre, Tura.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma praised the quality of honey produced in the Garo Hills, calling it among the best in the world. He shared his experience from his time as a Rajya Sabha MP, when he brought honey from Nokrek to Delhi. He said that when the honey was tested by Dabur, it was rated the best. He encouraged the bee-keepers of the region to expand their cooperative society, which currently has 357 members, to at least 1,000 while promising to support the community further by sanctioning another processing unit if they reach that target.
The centre was sanctioned under the Apiculture Mission 2.0. An amount of Rs 15 lakh for the honey processing unit and Rs 15 lakh for infrastructure development had been sanctioned. The centre includes honey extractors, a processing unit, bottling, packaging, and sealing machines. So far, 5 bee-rearing boxes have been distributed, with each box capable of producing 7 to 8 kilograms of honey during each season three times a year.
People from 16 villages in the Nokrek area attended the event.
