Overview:
Amid reports of farmers in Meghalaya being forced to sell cabbages for as little as Rs 2 per kg, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) general secretary Manuel Badwar on Wednesday blamed the recurring crisis on the government's lack of long-term agricultural planning and an inefficient supply chain.
Shillong: Amid reports of farmers in Meghalaya being forced to sell cabbages for as little as Rs 2 per kg, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) general secretary Manuel Badwar on Wednesday blamed the recurring crisis on the government’s lack of long-term agricultural planning and an inefficient supply chain.
Speaking to reporters, Badwar said the crash in vegetable prices is not a new phenomenon but a recurring problem that continues to hurt farmers year after year.
According to him, the government already possesses sufficient data through the Agriculture Department to anticipate production trends well before the harvest season.
He argued that authorities should use this information to forecast crop production, assess the acreage under cultivation and estimate supply months in advance, allowing them to plan marketing and distribution accordingly.
“The low prices are only a symptom. The real problem lies elsewhere,” Badwar said, adding that proper planning could help prevent situations where excess production floods the market and drives prices below the cost of cultivation.
He also pointed to a common pattern among farmers, where many switch to cultivating crops that fetched higher prices in the previous season. This often results in an oversupply of the same crop the following year, leading to another price crash.
Badwar said the Agriculture Department should engage with farmers regularly and advise them on crop diversification and production planning instead of allowing market trends alone to dictate cultivation patterns.
He questioned why the government had failed to implement such measures despite agriculture remaining the primary source of livelihood for a majority of the state’s population and contributing significantly to Meghalaya’s economy.
“The data is already available with the department. What is lacking is the political will to put it together and develop a proper plan,” he said.
‘Promotion alone will not help pineapple farmers’
Referring to the state government’s efforts to promote Meghalaya pineapples through events such as the Pineapple Festival, Badwar said branding alone would not improve farmers’ incomes unless it was backed by an efficient supply chain and marketing network.
He said Meghalaya’s pineapples are known for their sweetness and quality but also have a relatively short shelf life, making timely transportation and distribution critical.
“There is no point in telling people that Meghalaya has the best pineapples if consumers across the country cannot easily buy them,” he said.
According to Badwar, the state’s biggest weakness is its value chain and supply chain management, which leaves many farmers struggling to sell their produce even during the peak harvest season.
He said the government should prioritise strengthening storage facilities, transportation and distribution networks to ensure produce reaches markets quickly before it deteriorates.
Badwar also called for greater investment in food processing, saying value addition through canning and processing could significantly increase farmers’ earnings. He recalled that Meghalaya once had a government-run food processing unit that served as a model for producing processed food products, including canned pineapples, and said similar initiatives should now be expanded with private sector participation.
He cited pineapple canning as an example of value addition that could substantially increase the market value of the fruit while reducing post-harvest losses.
The Congress leader further said Meghalaya’s produce should not only reach major cities but also be widely available in domestic and international markets through a stronger distribution network.
Expressing hope that the government would address the issue, Badwar urged the state to focus on strengthening supply chain management, marketing infrastructure and value addition, saying these measures were essential to improve returns for farmers and prevent recurring agricultural crises.
Also REad: My daughter, my city, and a protest a thousand miles from Jantar Mantar