Guwahati: In a glorious achievement, the state of Meghalaya has exported 20 metric tons of Khasi Mandarin oranges to Dubai.
Meghalaya Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that earlier the state would internationally export 1.5 MT to 2 MT of Mandarin oranges and “today we are talking of 20 MT.”
“This step will instill a sense of security with our farmers telling them that we will grow together, we will benefit together,” she said adding that the farmers are going to be dictating our economy.
“The next biggest challenge that we have before us which we have to handhold all our farmer groups is to get back to natural farming practices. The Organic Mission needs to be attended to. We have to reclaim our confidence in the farming communities. We will do what it takes to sensitise, educate, expose, and financially assist our farmers,” Lyngdoh said.
Isawanda Laloo, Agriculture Secretary of Meghalaya said that the unique agro-climatic condition reflects in that the state has a huge array of variable fruits, and crops, and “we want to capitalise on these.”
The event, attended by representatives from Apeda and the LuLu group, highlighted the collaborative efforts to boost agricultural exports.
The state is hopeful that in the future this number is going to grow significantly and other countries would also be interested in Khasi mandarin oranges.