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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday inaugurated the North East's largest organic spice processing unit at Bhoirymbong in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, a facility expected to strengthen value addition, exports and market access for thousands of organic farmers in the region.
According to a series of posts by the Finance Minister's Office on X, the facility has been established under the Eastern Ri-Bhoi Organic Farmer Producer Company Ltd (FPC), a farmer-owned enterprise promoted under the Centre's Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER). The Finance Minister inaugurated the unit in the presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang Golay. The Finance Minister's Office described the facility as "the first organically certified spice processing unit in North East India" and said it is "expected to become a landmark institution for the organic agriculture sector in the region." The processing unit has the capacity to handle more than 10,000 metric tonnes of high-value organic spices annually, including ginger, turmeric, black pepper and chilli. According to the posts, the unit is certified under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and European Union Organic Standards, enabling direct access to premium domestic and international organic markets. The Finance Minister's Office said the facility is expected to directly benefit around 5,500 organic farmers across Meghalaya and the wider North-Eastern region by improving value addition, strengthening quality control systems and providing direct market linkages. It added that the project would help "enhance value addition and processing of organic produce", "reduce post-harvest losses through modern storage and processing infrastructure" and "provide direct linkages with national and international buyers." The facility is also expected to improve farmers' price realisation by reducing dependence on intermediaries while creating employment opportunities in processing, packaging and logistics. According to the posts, the Eastern Ri-Bhoi Organic FPC comprises 500 organic farmers from nine villages organised through 26 Farmer Interest Groups. The farmer producer company has received support under the Centre's MOVCD-NER scheme, the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and various state government programmes. The Finance Minister's Office said the Meghalaya government, through convergence with programmes supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), facilitated the establishment of the processing unit with an investment of around Rs 30-32 crore. Calling it a model for rural enterprise development, the Finance Minister's Office said the project demonstrates how states can leverage central schemes, externally aided projects and convergence financing "to build farmer-owned enterprises and market-driven rural infrastructure." It further noted that the initiative shows how investments in aggregation, processing and value addition can help transform smallholder agriculture into "a sustainable and commercially viable sector." (ANI)
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