Imphal: Government is planning to open outlets of organic products in metropolitan cities other than one at Pune, chief minister N. Biren Singh said at the inauguration ceremony of Conference cum Buyer Seller Meet at Hotel Imphal on Wednesday.
This would not only provide better returns to farmers and entrepreneurs but also provide employment opportunities. The government has been trying to make Manipur an organic state by avoiding usage of chemical fertilizers and instead using compost of Loktak lake Phumdi biomass, Biren said.
He mentioned that the state government had started exporting black rice and other horticulture products in the recent years. He said fruits and vegetables produced in the state are more nutritious and of different taste compared to that of other states in the country.
The meet was organised by Manipur Food Industries Corporation Limited, department of textiles, commerce and industry.
The state government has been tirelessly working to make Manipur a self-reliant state under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Appreciating Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), ministry of commerce and industry, for supporting the state government in organising the conference cum meet, he said such programme would provide a platform for interaction of local entrepreneurs with potential buyers thereby increasing their exposure. This will also strengthen the government’s aim of achieving self-reliance, he added.
Considering the hardship faced by agriculture sector due to shortage of water, the government has taken up certain projects to ensure adequate supply of water for agricultural activities, he said.
Commerce and industries minister Thongam Biswajit Singh said the department of textiles, commerce and industries is setting up a Mega Food Park under which 2000 MT capacity cold storage, 5000 MT warehouse , workshed and other facilities would be available. In addition, 100 MT cold storages and 500 MT warehouse would be constructed in eight districts for primary processing of raw materials.
“A food testing and research laboratory would be set in the state under the ministry of food processing industries. The laboratory would enable testing of food products of the state which were earlier sent to different States like Delhi, Kolkata and Karnataka for testing,” the minister said.
A ready to serve juice line with Aseptic Bricks Filling (Tetra Pak) had also been set up at Nilakuthi Food Park, he added.
The chief minister also launched the Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.
The scheme aims to provide financial, technical and business support to micro food processing units, Farmer Producer Organisations and Self Help Groups. It will also promote One District One Product to reap the benefit of scales in terms of procurement of inputs, availing common services and marketing of products.
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