Meghalaya exports 20 metric tons of Khasi mandarin to Dubai

Shillong, Dec 13 (IANS) Meghalaya has exported 20 metric tons of Khasi Mandarin to Dubai, officials said on Tuesday.

State Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that at one point of time, the state would, only on a trial, internationally export 1.5 MT to 2 MT of mandarin 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.

Agriculture Secretary Isawanda Laloo said that Meghalaya’s 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".

"Given that many of our farmers still cultivate in the traditional way, there is huge opportunity for us to capture the growing organic consumer-based market in the entire world," she added.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Deputy General Manager and northeast in-charge Sunita Rai said that she hoped that in the days to come, "from 20 MT, we can sustain commercial shipment. We should be proud of some other local fruits which we aim to popularise".

Senior General Manager, Lulu Group International, Ravi Kumar said that last year hardly one ton of Khasi Mandarin from Meghalaya was promoted and this year, 20 tons of Khasi Mandarin is being exported.

"I am expecting at least one more zero would be added next year because zero does not have value but if we put it in the right place, we can have a lot of value. Automatically, the dollars will come to Meghalaya state and the lifestyle of the farmers will increase," he said.

In a significant stride towards sustainable market linkage, the Agriculture Marketing Board entered a MoU with the Lulu Group on November 3.This strategic partnership aims to foster mutual growth and promote Meghalaya's agricultural products in the GCC countries, expanding global reach.