Raphael Warjri

New Delhi, July 17, 2024: The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K.
Sangma, visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with farmers and entrepreneurs of the state
who were participating in the hugely successful 2 nd Meghalaya Pineapple Festival, 2024, held
at the Dilli Haat, New Delhi. The visit reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to preserve
and promote the interest of the backbone of the state’s economy, the farmers.
The delegation that the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Conrad K Sangma led with the 19
farmers and 10 entrepreneurs of Meghalaya, also included Shri CVD Diengdoh, IAS
Secretary, Planning Department, Government of Meghalaya, Shri I Majaw, Joint Secretary,
Dept of Power, Shri Alexander Mukhim, Deputy Secretary, Smti Anita Kharpor, Joint
Secretary, and Smti I Diengdoh, Joint Mission Director, SRES.
With mission-mode interventions at the grassroots level, the policies of the Government
of Meghalaya have been benefiting the farmers and entrepreneurs of the state across
various levels. And after the successful completion of the 2nd Meghalaya Pineapple Festival
2024, this visit to the Rashtrapati Bhawan with the farmers and entrepreneurs demonstrated
the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s vision for empowering the backbone of the economy, the
farmers, and entrepreneurs of Meghalaya.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister stated, “The Government of Meghalaya always works together
with the farmers, who form the backbone of Meghalaya’s economy. This experience, after the
success of the Meghalaya Pineapple Festival, 2024, not only recognizes their hard work but
also motivates them towards new heights.”
During the visit, the Hon'ble Chief Minister also spoke about national integration,
highlighting that the presence of Meghalaya farmers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan is a matter
of pride, symbolizing national integration.
Notably, the farmers of the state also visited the ‘Janjatiya Darpan’, a tribal art and culture
gallery in the Rashtrapati Bhawan, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble President of India
Smt Droupadi Murmu, who herself belongs to Tribal Community. The visitors were
delighted to see beadworks and necklaces from the Khasi and Garo Hills of Meghalaya being

showcased in there. There was a full collection of these items, alongside other ethnographic
objects and images from different tribes of India.
The farmers, touring the Rashtrapati Bhavan with their Hon’ble Chief Minister, were
quite elated by the event. “The Meghalaya Pineapple Festival opened new avenues for us,
and visiting the Rashtrapati Bhawan is a dream come true. The Hon'ble Chief Minister has
always supported the farmers. It is due to the efforts of the government that our pineapples
are today exported and consumed globally,” said Ms Badashisha Lapang, a farmer from
the state. Another farmer stated, “This experience has been like an inciting boost to our
morale. With the Hon’ble Chief Minister accompanying us to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, it
showed that all our hard work was properly valued and acknowledged at the highest level.”
Shri Cyril V. D. Diengdoh, IAS Secretary, Planning Department, expressed the state’s
commitment to agricultural growth. He mentioned that “The tour was a gesture of the
government’s commitment to encouraging the farmers to explore further opportunities for
growth and expansion.” The Government’s efforts to promote the pineapples along with
various other agricultural produce of the state has led to successful export of different
commodities to various parts of the globe. Recently, the state exported over 3.5 Tonnes of
Pineapples to Middle East, a success of Mission Mode Interventions by the Government.
These interventions work in tandem with initiatives like the PRIME Meghalaya, aimed at
strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystem in the state.
The entrepreneurs also shared their views. “With the Hon’ble Chief Minister
accompanying us on this visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan, we are reaffirmed that the active
support from our government will always exist. It encourages us to bring innovations and
expand our businesses,” said Robina J Sangma, an entrepreneur from PRIME (Promotion
and Incubation of Market Driven Enterprises), Meghalaya.
The visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan thus demonstrated the Government of Meghalaya’s
continuous efforts in empowering the people at the grassroots level and exploring newer
avenues for economic development.