IMPHAL — Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, today inaugurated the three-day Agri Horti Expo for organic and indigenous products of Manipur and buyer-seller meet organised by Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) under the department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation in Imphal.
The Agri Horti Expo and buyer-seller meet was sponsored by Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, government of India, and Manipur government.
Speaking on the occasion, Biren Singh said the state could become a model state among the Northeast states if the state’s potential and farmers’ skill are utilised suitably.
On the adverse effect of large-scale poppy cultivation on soil and environmental impact, he said that the government is ready to face any outcomes in its mission to save the state’s future generation.
Recalling that the government implemented organic farming in the state with 5000 farmers covering 5000 hectares in 2016, he informed that the area covered under organic farming has been expanded to 37,900 hectares in the year 2021-22.
He also informed that organic products worth INR 200 crore have been sold in the last six years and out of which INR 30 crore worth of products was sold outside the state and about INR 1.5 crore exported outside the country.
Stating that the state-level Agri Horti Expo for organic and indigenous products would offer an interactive and competitive ecosystem of all stakeholders, he assured that farmers need not worry about a marketing platform for their produce as the government has provision for buyback of their produce.
In his speech, minister of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Letpao Haokip, stated that the buyer-seller meet would create a platform for buyers from different parts of the Northeast as well as outside the region.
The additional chief secretary of Horticulture, P Vaiphei, said the main objective of the expo was to have direct interaction between the officials and the farmers producer companies so that they could vent out their experiences and resolve issues directly.
After the formal inauguration event, Biren Singh, accompanied by officials, visited the stalls set up by various agencies. Many delegates including officials from eight NE states are taking part in the expo.
