New policy to ensure procurement from local sellers: Meghalaya

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said that the Meghalaya government will soon come out with a policy to ensure that state and central agencies procure products from local sellers.

The chief minister said this at a function while handing over the Meghalaya Entrepreneurship Recognition Award to Wanmon Tang, a food processor from Madankynsaw village in West Jaintia Hills district.

The state government would soon come out with a procurement policy and make it mandatory for different government offices, central government offices, institutions and companies in Meghalaya to procure a certain percentage of products from local sellers, Sangma said.

Wanmon is a proprietor of a small home-based enterprise - Deisa Food Processing - which produces jams, fruit wines, juices, turmeric, chilli flakes and candies from locally available fruits and vegetables.

Congratulating the lady entrepreneur, the chief minister said it was encouraging to see local women forming startups.

"Many entrepreneurs started off with almost no support from anywhere and I am proud and happy that our government, through various programs and initiatives, is promoting entrepreneurship in the state," he said.

"We are giving these entrepreneurs the recognition they deserve. Besides, we are giving them the support to take their businesses to the next level," he said.

The government recently launched meghamart.com, an online platform, to grant entrepreneurs more access to markets, beyond local buyers, the chief minister said.

It also hopes that women entrepreneur like her will benefit from it, he said.