Meghalaya’s Rs 240-crore Floriculture Mission to bloom Rs 600-crore returns: CM Sangma

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday announced that his government will invest Rs 240 crore over the next three years to transform Meghalaya into a floriculture hub.

Addressing a gathering during his visit to Mawkriah village in East Khasi Hills district, Sangma said the initiative aims to make floriculture a high-value, climate-resilient, and sustainable livelihood option for farmers in the state.

The 'Floriculture Mission 1.0' is expected to benefit over 3,000 farmers, each receiving a Rs 7 lakh subsidy for inputs, infrastructure, and training. Nearly 500 farmers have already availed the benefits of the scheme.

“This is the highest investment any government has made in floriculture in Meghalaya,” Sangma stated, adding that the initiative is projected to generate direct profits of Rs 600 crore in the coming years.

The scheme focuses on cultivating high-value flowers such as orchids, dendrobium, cymbidium, vanda, phalaenopsis, and oriental lilium, which have strong demand in both domestic and international markets.

“Region-specific flower clusters are being developed using scientific cultivation techniques,” Sangma said. “We are building on the state's natural strengths and innovating with improved systems.”

To support the mission, the state has engaged two service providers — Darjeeling Gardens and North Bengal Floritech — to offer technical expertise, quality planting materials, infrastructure support, and assured market linkage through a three-year buyback arrangement, officials confirmed.

Meghalaya's unique agroclimatic conditions, with a blend of tropical and temperate elements, are ideally suited for growing exotic flowers, they said.

Sangma emphasised that the floriculture mission is part of a broader agricultural strategy. He cited the success of the Lakadong Turmeric Mission, where production rose from 1,000 to over 20,000 tonnes through SHG-led processing units, market linkages, and targeted investments.

“Meghalaya’s agriculture vision is rooted in identifying our core strengths and scaling them,” he said. “We aim to double farmers’ incomes, diversify rural livelihoods, and make agriculture a cornerstone of sustainable development.”