The 2nd Edition of the Meghalaya Pineapple Festival held at the iconic Delli Haat (Kalam Memorial, New Delhi from July 10 to 14 showcased the kew pineapples of Meghalaya and its agricultural heritage besides providing farmers with the much-needed platform and market to sell their produce.
Organised by the government of Meghalaya, the Pineapple Festival opened its doors to people from the national capital to get a taste of the sweetness of these kew pineapples cultivated in the hills of the three tribes.
“These kew pineapples are purely organic. The response of the people out here in Delhi is amazing – they were amazed to taste such sweet pineapples and we are happy to be the ones to exhibit these kew varieties to them,” said the program associate from Meghalaya Employment Agency, Miss PA Sangma.
This festival was attended by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh who interacted with the farmers and visitors.
The festival is aimed at promoting the state’s kew pineapple across the globe. It underscores Meghalaya’s commitment to the development of a favourable economic ecosystem for the farmers and entrepreneurs of the state.
Speaking at the occasion, Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh emphasized the importance of the festival and said “Meghalaya, with its rich agro-climatic conditions, is a treasure trove of unique produce”.
She informed that the government invested Rs 5.63 crore on infrastructure and Rs 1.39 crore on working capital, with Rs 78 lakh allocated specifically for pineapple until 2023.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who attended the closing day of this festival, hoped that the festival would become an annual calendar event.
“The objective was to allow the products that the 50,000 farmers, involved in pineapple plantation and farming in the state, are given enough exposure and have access to the market,” he said.
The festival was not all about buying and selling the produce; music also played a part in enthralling the audience. Visitors were mesmerised by the lively musical performances managed by the Meghalaya Grassroot Music Project (MGMP).
Apart from this, visitors were also introduced to the tasty and delightful cuisines of the Khasis like Jastem, Dohkhlieh Syiar, Meatballs, Dohsniang nei-iong, Tungtap, Jhurkhlieh, and Umshit syrwa – served by Cloud kitchen.
During the festival, a total of 6.5 tonnes of organically sweet pineapples were sold.
