Dignitaries at the end of 1st North Est Food Show. Image: Northeast Now
Dignitaries at the end of 1st North Est Food Show. Image: Northeast Now

The first edition of three-day North East Food Show concluded with the Chief Ministersโ€™ Conclave in Shillong on Friday.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma chaired the conclave.

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It was attended by Tripura CM Biplab Deb, Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, Sikkim tourism minister BS Pant, union sports minister Kiren Rijiju along with a host of other dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion Conrad Sangma said the first edition of the North East Food Show witnessed 250 exhibitors, B2B discussions and training programmes.

โ€œResponse to homemade and fruit-made wine has been great,โ€ Sangma said.

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โ€œThe government is looking forward to coming up with a policy to regulate winemaking so that both the farmers and entrepreneurs could benefit,โ€ the Meghalaya CM added.

The Meghalaya CM also announced the North East Food Show will be an annual calendar event.

โ€œThe second North East Food Show will be held from November 26 to 28, 2020,โ€ Sangma said and hoped that it would take the food sector and all stakeholders to new heights.

Speaking on the occasion Rijiju said, โ€œFood is crucial to human civilization and the identity of the people is associated with the food of the place.โ€

โ€œFood from the Northeast is healthy and organic. Within the region the food business is huge providing attractive career options on a sustainable basis,โ€ Rijiju added.

โ€œNortheast needs to look at the quality and not the quantity of food produced to make food and food processing a part of the economic growth of the region,โ€ he suggested.

Tripura CM Biplab Deb called for concerted and integrated efforts from all the eight Northeastern states for a transformative change in the food industry.

โ€œEach state is well known for a particular fruit or food habit, and that can be taken advantage of,โ€ Deb said.

Arunachal CM Pema Khandu said as Northeast is primarily an agrarian economy, hence the region should focus more on it.