Shillong, Dec 1 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday asserted that his government has prioritised farmer-centric initiatives in the state, and it has been proven to be beneficial for the welfare of farmers.

Sangma attended the 4th World Organic Youth Summit here, and the 1st Northeast India Organic Week cum Buyer Seller Meet was also simultaneously held during the summit.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that the programs, policies and agenda of the government are focused on helping and uplifting the farmers of the state and that the summit with the perspective of learning, sharing and helping the farmers will continue beyond the three-day summit.

“Farmers are an important part of our policies, and our different mission mode programs in Agriculture and allied sectors are to push the farmers and give them the necessary support and help,” he said.

On the Organic Mission of the state, he said that organic is not just a ‘buzzword’ for the state but goes back to the knowledge, tradition and practices of the forefathers who have been farming for centuries and celebrating that practice and farming.

He also informed the gathering that agriculture, tourism and the service sector are key sectors for the government and added, “We are very keen to see that a strong convergence takes place between tourism and agriculture, especially organic farming, so a lot of activities that are taking place in the tourism sector is being connected with the organic mission along with entrepreneurship programs.”

Expressing happiness that the summit took place in Shillong, he concluded saying, “We have been very assertive about organic farming, and I hope this summit has been an opportunity to share the knowledge and practices of our forefathers with the rest of the world and let this be the beginning of building relationships, experience sharing and networking.”

The Chief Minister later interacted with participants from other countries who queried on the vision of the state, use of technology, logistics support, etc, for young organic entrepreneurs. The Organic Meghalaya Compendium and the website Megnolia were also realised and launched during the occasion.

–IANS

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