Meghalaya signs 13 MoUs to turn farm waste into rural wealth

The Meghalaya government on Friday inked 13 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with leading technical and research institutions to convert farm and floral waste into organic compost and natural herbal colours. 

The agreements, signed during the Summit for Rural Empowerment at the State Convention Centre, also aim to develop health foods from indigenous crops like millets, sorghum, and maize, thereby creating new avenues for rural entrepreneurship and enhancing farmer incomes.

The MoUs form a key part of the state’s implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM), which seeks to transform tribal livelihoods through innovation, technology, and market linkages. Six more MoUs are in the pipeline, officials said, and are expected to further expand the state’s eco-conscious and economically sustainable rural programmes.

Among the key activities outlined are compost production from pineapple peels and banana stems, extraction of essential oils from local medicinal plants, creation of natural dyes from flower waste—including gulal for Holi—and the development of high-nutrition food products from indigenous grains. “This is a shift from low-value primary production to high-value, environment-friendly processing,” said a senior official of the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA).

Speaking at the summit, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma highlighted the government’s long-term commitment to empowering farmers, SHGs, and rural communities. “In the past seven years, Meghalaya has supported the formation of over 55,000 self-help groups involving more than five lakh women. We’ve also extended support to over 2 lakh farmers and 20,000 farmer collectives,” Sangma said. He added that the CM Farm Plus Scheme will address supply-chain delays in farm inputs and increase productivity across the state.

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The CM also pointed out that under the CM Assure Programme, ₹50 crore has been spent in just eight months to stabilise the prices of major crops like turmeric and betelnut—both vital to the state's agrarian economy.

Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh hailed PMJVM as a “far-sighted transformation” and cited its early successes in reviving the rural economy. She noted that the State Organic Farming Mission, currently operating across 52,000 hectares, aims to scale up to 1 lakh hectares by 2028. “Additionally, 169 Vikas Divyangta Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been sanctioned so far, reaching over 50,000 beneficiaries. Each centre supports 15 SHGs, 60% of which are from tribal communities, and provides up to ₹15 lakh for equipment, training, and market linkages,” she said.

Dr Vijay Kumar D of MBMA said the newly signed MoUs will play a pivotal role in making VDVKs viable, self-sustaining enterprises by partnering them with reputed national institutions. He also recalled Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s praise of Meghalaya’s community-driven model, calling it a “resilient and self-reliant path for the rest of India to emulate.”