Shillong Dec 11: Meghalaya Governor, Tathagata Roy said that Meghalaya has immense potential in the food processing sector as its base economy is agrarian and stressed that the potential of agro based industry should be developed further.
Addressing the inaugural session of the one-day conference on “Startups and MSMEs in Food Processing†which was organized on Tuesday by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industries of India (ASSOCHAM) in collaboration with Ministry of Food & Processing Industries (MoFPI), and ICAR Research Centre for NEH Region, Umiam, Meghalaya and SIDBI, the Governor said that Meghalaya is bestowed with abundant natural resources, and the resources need to be tapped for the development of the state which in return will create a lot of employment opportunities for the youth.
The conference was organized for providing a platform to aspiring food entrepreneurs, existing SMEs in food, agriculture professionals, students, progressive farmers, Self Help Groups, for sharing their views and learn about latest initiatives, schemes and opportunities available in the field of Agro Food Industries. More than 100 participants attended the conference.
“Besides the major food crops like rice and maize, the state is also renowned for its horticultural crops like orange, lemon and others. Food processing in the state has to grow so as to achieve its full potential,†the Governor said.
He said that apart from agricultural produce, meat processing can also be taken up in a big way in the state, and this will put Meghalaya among the top processors of meat products.
He said that value addition by even simple processing techniques will increase income of the farmers and will bring development in the state.
The Governor hoped that such conferences would bring out innovative idea and the platform will act as an exposure to the budding entrepreneurs and they can get linkages to the market.
Welcoming the dignitaries Dr Narendra Prakash, Director, ICAR RC for NEH Region said that the region has immense scope and the youth should make the most out of it, and taking part in the conference will help them generate ideas and implement them in their respective fields.
He also highlighted the strengths of Indian agriculture and the exemplary work done by ICAR and Meghalaya state to promote food processing.
