From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, March 1: The contribution of the farm sector to Meghalaya’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has more than doubled over the last six years, rising from Rs 5,977.91 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 12,332.26 crore in 2024-25.
Officials said the aim now is to double farmers’ incomes by moving away from subsistence farming to high-value crops.
According to Saloni Verma, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Meghalaya today has better processing facilities and stronger market access. These have helped the agriculture sector grow 10% annually and play a central role in sustaining rural livelihoods while driving economic growth across the state.
Stronger farmer collectivisation, improved productivity, resilient post-harvest infrastructure, and robust market linkages have powered the growth, she said.
Verma said that the focus has been on crops that reflect the state’s identity and ecological strengths. Such crops include Lakadong turmeric, ginger, black pepper, bay leaf, Kew pineapples, and Khasi Mandarin oranges.
These products are valued for their quality and are increasingly finding space in premium domestic and international markets, she said. “To support this transition, the state government has invested in infrastructure and branding initiatives such as Meghalaya Collectives and Meghalayan Age, while establishing large food processing facilities such as PRIME Hubs under the Community Public Private Partnership model,” Verma said.
“These interventions enable aggregation, value addition, and direct market access for farmers. The objective is to help farmers earn more by selling better, not just by producing more,” she added.
Spices, which are largely organic by default, have emerged as the key drivers of this transformation, supported by rich soils and high rainfall. Today, the state produces over 16,000 metric tonnes of spices annually, with organic cultivation steadily expanding across districts, she said.
Between 2018 and 2025, the area under organic farming increased from 18,000 to 27,000 hectares and is projected to reach 1 lakh hectares by 2028. Strong certification systems and farmer collectives ensure quality, traceability, and consistency, Verma said.
“At the heart of this story is the GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric globally recognised for its rich colour, aroma and exceptionally high curcumin content, ranging between 7 and 12%,” she said. ICAR has confirmed the curcumin content, while the Centre has described the Lakadong variety as the miracle spice of Meghalaya.
Ginger and black pepper are also contributing strongly to rising farm incomes. Ginger production increased from 66,156 metric tonnes in FY 2018-19 to 71,413 metric tonnes in FY 2024-25, placing Meghalaya among the top ten producers in the country, with clear targets to reach the top five by 2032.
The state exported its first ginger consignment of 15 metric tonnes to Dubai.
Black pepper production has grown from 801 metric tonnes in FY 2018-19 to 2,267 metric tonnes in FY 2024-25, securing a top-three national ranking. In the West and South Garo Hills districts, integrated village cooperative societies have improved price realisation through aggregation, quality grading, and direct market access.
Focused state missions support these gains. Under the Lakadong Mission, turmeric cultivation expanded to 2,190 hectares, supported by over 20 processing units that benefited over 13,000 farmers and enabled exports of dried turmeric slices, Verma said. The Ginger Mission has played a key role in strengthening ginger cultivation and value addition across the state.
About 348 metric tonnes of ginger were processed in 2025, generating Rs 1.74 crore from the sale of sliced and dried ginger, with over 1,700 farmers directly benefiting from the initiative. Between 2022 and 2025, over 420 metric tonnes of ginger, turmeric, black pepper, bay leaf and cinnamon were traded across domestic and export markets, including value-added forms such as sliced and dried ginger and processed turmeric, she said.
There is a clear shift from raw produce sales to organised, market-oriented spice value chains. Meghalaya’s spices now carry not only flavour and aroma, but also the story of farmers, forests and a future rooted in inclusive growth, Verma said.
