North East has the potential to become
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the Northeast has the potential to become India’s next engine of growth by leveraging its strengths in sustainable agriculture and premium organic produce.
He also said that Meghalaya is uniquely positioned to lead because it has confidence in global markets.
Inaugurating the Northeast’s largest organic spice processing plant of Eastern Ri-Bhoi Organic Farmer Producer Company Limited here, Sitharaman said, “The future of agriculture increasingly belongs not to those who produce the most, but to those who produce the best – cleaner, more traceable, more reliable and more premium.” Congratulating the Meghalaya government, women’s groups and entrepreneurs for taking the state’s organic farming movement forward, he said, “When Meghalaya’s farmers grow, the Northeast grows. And when the Northeast grows, India’s growth gets a new engine.”
Emphasizing on Meghalaya’s competitive advantage, the Finance Minister said the state does not need to compete with big agricultural states as the future belongs to increasingly reliable quality and reliable producers.
“The world is entering an era where trust is being valued and Meghalaya is uniquely positioned for this future because it has trust that is rooted in nature, community and the ecological knowledge of generations,” he said.
Sitharaman said the state’s growing spice economy shows that “economic growth and ecological management can go together”, adding that development need not come at the cost of nature.
He said, “We have to live with nature, we have to co-exist.”
Referring to the vision of India becoming a developed nation by 2047, he said, “India’s ambition for 2047 – a developed India – requires the productive integration of every community, every region and every state into the national development story, and the Northeast is at the center of it.” Recalling Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s comments, she said she wanted the Northeast to not only keep pace with the rest of the country but also emerge as its leader.
She said, “I heard the Chief Minister saying that we want all the states to develop and the North-East should not be left behind. I want the country to say that the North-East will lead the whole of India.”
Painting a picture of inclusive growth, Sitharaman said she envisions a woman farmer from East Ri-Bhoi who grows turmeric using traditional methods inherited from her grandmother, processes it in a certified facility and sees the product sold in retail stores in London, Paris or Singapore, while earning enough to pursue her aspirations without leaving her homeland.
He also talked about young entrepreneurs building global brands around Meghalaya’s organic spices and cooperatives that started with a handful of families but have grown strong enough to interact directly with international buyers.
