Shillong Apr 26 PTI Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday launched a programme to make Meghalaya one of the largest producers of ginger in the countryThe state government will be spending Rs 121 crore for the initiative over the next three years he saidGinger Mission aims to increase ginger production in the state to 15 lakh mt per annum in the next three years from about 60000 mt per annum at present he saidRs 121 crore has been earmarked for the mission for a period of three years By the end of the mission the government is confident that Meghalaya would become the third-largest producer of ginger in the country the chief minister said launching the initiative at a function hereThe government would spend Rs 18 crore in the first year to procure 2200 mt of quality plants which will be distributed for free to around 9000 farmers in 400 villages he saidThe Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will gradually introduce improved and high-yielding varieties of ginger he saidAround 50000 farmers will be benefited and the area of production will be increased from 10000 ha to 12500 ha he addedTraining will be given to farmers on the latest production technologies collectivisation and aggregation processing of ginger and market linkage Sangma saidIn the past several programmes for the welfare of farmers were taken up but the objective to enhance their earnings was not achieved he saidThrough Ginger Mission and other flagship farmers programmes the government has designed a dedicated roadmap to ensure that farmers incomes are doubled he saidThe government will create logistics hubs and storage facilities besides connecting the farmers to bigger markets and buyers Sangma saidThe local ginger variety Sying Makhir which has high medicinal values will also be promoted through this programme he saidThirty new ginger processing units will be set up across the state at an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore as a part of the programme the chief minister saidAt the function he handed over the improved varieties of ginger samples to farmers PTI JOP SOM SOM
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