Meghalaya CM releases policy document on jackfruit mission

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today released the policy document of the five year jackfruit mission.

The chief minister launched the draft policy for the mission at the jackfruit festival here and the mission is likely to be launched before Independence Day this year.

The mission aims to generate employment opportunities for over 80,000 farmers.

Meghalaya additional chief secretary K N Kumar said the Rs 80 crore jackfruit mission has set a target of reaching out and impacting over 82,000 farmers, 50 small and medium enterprises and about 200 nano enterprises the state in the next five year.

Of the Rs 80 crore, Rs 42.6 crore will be sourced from the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)and Rs 6.3 crore from the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Rs 30.2 crore from the state government as support funds.

According to the policy document, the jackfruit mission will demonstrate the feasibility of turning a long ignored low input, low cost natural resource of the state into a high value product capable of sustaining a long line of enterprises in the community