Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: New Delhi is hosting the fourth Meghalaya Pineapple Festival. The three-day event at Dilli Haat kicked off July 10. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma opened the show. The goal is simple: fix the supply chain and boost export cash.
Meghalaya pineapples hit a Brix sweetness level of 16-18. That beats the national average. Growers in the Ri Bhoi, Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills cultivate the fruit. It supports thousands of families. The state has already moved over 100 metric tonnes of pineapples through formal channels.
Big deals are on the table. The state signed agreements with Flipkart and National E-Market Services Limited to push fruit into digital stores and retail chains. Scindia noted that Meghalaya's pineapples have earned recognition "far beyond the State and the country" for their flavor profile.
The government is pushing hard for results. Income for linked farmers jumped by 80 percent recently. Chief Minister Sangma said, "Our objective is simple: to ensure that every partnership we build and every market we open ultimately translates into higher incomes, stronger livelihoods and better opportunities for the people of Meghalaya."
Operations are scaling up fast. The state now maintains 40 PRIME Hubs and 650 storage facilities. One local outfit, the Jirang Organic Agro Farmer Producer Company, saw its turnover climb from 1.5 lakh rupees to 1.17 crore rupees in recent years. The festival runs through July 12.
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