A Marketing Conclave of business service providers was organized by the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency, under the Meghalaya Livelihood and Access to Markets Project (Megha-LAMP), at the RRTC (Rural Resource & Training Centre) Umran on the 2nd of September, 2017. The aim of the conclave was to bridge the gap between various market actors – the market committee, the traders, aggregators, farmers, value chain group members and supporting institution. A key objective of the Conclave was to promote networking and partnership between the various actors along the value chain.
More than 250 IBDLP partners, traders and farmpreneurs from across the six districts of Khasi & Jaintia region participated at the conclave. Thematic panel discussions were held simultaneously on issues relating to Market infrastructure, Apiculture, Aquaculture, Organic Farming, Livestock and Food Processing. Resource persons included both officers of line departments as well as organizations from within and outside the state. Others that participated included the Horticulture Department, Agriculture Department, Fisheries Deptt, AH &Vety Deptt, DCIC, Superintendent of Taxes, Nongpoh SBI RSETI & RRTC, KVIC, MAMB, KHADC, IIE Guwahati, North – East Development Society, Arohan Foods, Jeevanksh, Organic Majuli and Small Farmer Agri-business Consortium (SFAC).
A session on the promotion of Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) was conducted by SFAC. MBDA is already in the process of incubating FPO’s with the objective of facilitating collective action to address crop management & extension, procurement, sorting/grading, value addition and marketing. Discussions & demonstrations of best practices in various value chains were conducted around the campus. There was an Exhibition cum Point of Sales (EPoS) which was organized on the roadside wherein individual entrepreneurs or groups engaged in food processing, floriculture, handicrafts, handloom etc showcased and sold their products. On-the-spot counseling/training on GST and Enterprise Development were also provided to the partners who participated in the programme.