From CK Nayak
New Delhi, July 8: The 4th Meghalaya Pineapple Festival 2026 is all set to open at Dilli Haat here on Friday as the state’s flagship platform for promoting its premium “multiple fruit” and connecting farmers directly with consumers, retailers, and food businesses at both the national and international levels.
While Union Minister for DoNER Jyotiraditya Scindia will attend as the Chief Guest, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will be the Guest of Honour. There will also be a screening of the video “Meghalaya Pineapple”.
An MoU will be signed with Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, and NeML, which has partnered with the Government of Meghalaya to boost market access for local farmers. In a departure from previous editions, farmers will speak about their journey during the function.
There will be as many as 40 stalls, with farmers and entrepreneurs, mostly led by tribal women from all the 12 districts of the state, participating. Over 50 cooperatives, running stalls featuring food, spices, honey and other products, have already set up their stands to take part in the mega agro event.
The 2026 edition marks the remarkable journey of pineapple farmers and entrepreneurs and the growth of farmer-owned enterprises across the state. The three-day-long festival reflects a broader vision of combining culture, commerce, and community development through agriculture.
A large number of pineapple farmers from villages will sell their freshly harvested fruits directly to consumers in the National Capital Region. Some farmers will also showcase Lakadong turmeric, ginger, and other premium spices.
Fresh pineapple consignments to New Delhi have more than doubled, from 7.7 metric tonnes in the inaugural edition in 2023 to over 15 metric tonnes last year, reflecting growing consumer demand and stronger market linkages. This year, the organisers expect to sell about 20 tonnes of fresh fruit during the three days.
The festival has evolved into much more than a marketing event, as it has become a celebration of Meghalaya’s farming communities, women-led enterprises, and the collective efforts to position the hill state as a leading destination for premium, value-added horticultural products.
Beyond being a celebration of the harvest, the festival has evolved into an important platform for industry engagement, facilitating partnerships with organised retailers, e-commerce platforms, food processors, and export houses, including players such as Flipkart, Blinkit, Safal, and Lulu Group. These collaborations are helping establish continuous market linkages, creating year-round opportunities for farmers, and strengthening Meghalaya’s position as a leading supplier of premium, naturally organic pineapples in both domestic and international markets.
Over the years, the festival has also brought together cooperatives, Farmer Producer Companies, Self-Help Groups, and entrepreneurs, while facilitating partnerships with leading brands such as Reliance Retail, Amazon Karigar, Blinkit, Zepto, Country Delight, and Safal Foods.
A large section of the participating entrepreneurs come through PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-Driven Enterprises), the state’s flagship entrepreneurship incubation programme, with support from other state agencies. It is organised by the Government of Meghalaya, led by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, along with the Meghalaya State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) and Meghalayan Age Ltd., with support from several other state agencies.
There will be dedicated stalls for Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia cuisine, a pineapple cuisine stall, and craft zones for handicrafts, handloom, and pottery. There will also be concerts each day, with 14 reputed live artists performing under the Chief Minister’s Grassroots Music Project.
Since the festival took off in 2023, there has been a mad rush for Meghalaya’s pineapples, which are known for their natural sweetness, organic cultivation, and the fact that they are grown by farming communities in the hills, mostly using organic methods. Past editions have led to real market tie-ups for Meghalayan farmers with major Indian retail and grocery brands and have given a genuine push towards securing better market access for farmers.
The 4th Meghalaya Pineapple Festival continues this journey, showcasing not only the sweetness and quality of Meghalaya’s pineapples but also the spirit of its farmers, the strength of its cooperatives, and the state’s commitment to building sustainable and globally competitive agricultural value chains.
