Organic products from Manipur available at outlets in Pune, Bengaluru

Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 8 (EMN): In a move to export and promote organic products of Manipur and to popularise Organic Manipur brand, two organic outlets were inaugurated at Pune and Bengaluru on Wednesday. Meanwhile,  a consignment of 10 metric tonnes of GI tagged organic Manipur aromatic black rice called ‘Chakhao’ was exported to Europe for the second time amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh formally inaugurated the two organic outlets via video conferencing while physically flagging-off the consignment of ‘Chakhao’ in Imphal on Wednesday.

Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern region, Manipur took up the initiative to export and promote organic products in different parts of the country while the export of ‘Chakhao’ to Europe was done by Freshies Fresh under Nahakpam Food and Beverages, Imphal through Organic Foods Pvt Ltd, Kolkata.

Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister Biren Singh said Manipur has been able to export different organic items worth INR 68 crore in the past few years despite Covid-19 pandemic.

Exhorting the agriculture and horticulture entrepreneurs to apply for financial assistance from StartUp and other Government schemes, he said, MOMA has been exporting the State’s indigenous organic items like ginger, pineapple, chakhao, etc. to different parts of the country and abroad.

Stating that there is need for giving thrust to horticulture and agriculture sectors for economic prosperity, he said that several tube-wells and check dams were being constructed for it in different parts of the State, adding organic outlets would be opened in other cities as well.

Attending the event, the state agriculture minister O Lukhoi felt that the state natives as well as other people would be able to experiment the unique taste of indigenous items of Manipur with the opening of organic outlets in different cities.

Additional Chief Secretary (Horticulture) P Vaiphei and MOMA’s K Debadutta MOMA led Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department officials were also present during the day’s occasion. The first ever consignment of one metric tonne of ‘Chakhao’ was exported to Europe from Imphal on August 12 this year.