The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has blamed the state government’s lack of long-term agricultural planning and inefficient supply chain for the recurring price crisis faced by farmers in Meghalaya. According to MPCC general secretary Manuel Badwar, the crash in vegetable prices is not a new phenomenon but a recurring problem that continues to hurt farmers year after year.
Badwar pointed out that the government possesses sufficient data through the Agriculture Department to anticipate production trends well before the harvest season. He argued that authorities should use this information to forecast crop production, assess the acreage under cultivation, and estimate supply months in advance, allowing them to plan marketing and distribution accordingly. Proper planning could help prevent situations where excess production floods the market and drives prices below the cost of cultivation.
The MPCC general secretary also highlighted a common pattern among farmers, where many switch to cultivating crops that fetched higher prices in the previous season. This often results in an oversupply of the same crop the following year, leading to another price crash. Badwar suggested that the Agriculture Department should engage with farmers regularly and advise them on crop diversification and production planning instead of allowing market trends alone to dictate cultivation patterns.
Badwar questioned why the government had failed to implement such measures despite agriculture remaining the primary source of livelihood for a majority of the state’s population and contributing significantly to Meghalaya’s economy. He stated that the data is already available with the department, but what is lacking is the political will to put it together and develop a proper plan.
The MPCC general secretary also criticized the state government’s efforts to promote Meghalaya pineapples through events such as the Pineapple Festival, saying that branding alone would not improve farmers’ incomes unless it was backed by an efficient supply chain and marketing network. He emphasized the need for strengthening storage facilities, transportation, and distribution networks to ensure produce reaches markets quickly before it deteriorates.
Badwar called for greater investment in food processing, saying value addition through canning and processing could significantly increase farmers’ earnings. He suggested that the government should prioritize strengthening supply chain management, marketing infrastructure, and value addition to improve returns for farmers and prevent recurring agricultural crises.
