Meghalaya has immense potential in food processing sector: Guv

Meghalaya has immense potential in the food processing sector as its base economy is agrarian , state Governor Tathagata Roy said Tuesday.

Meghalaya is bestowed with abundant natural resources and the resources need to be tapped for the development of the state which in return will create a lot of employment opportunities for the youth, Roy said.

"The potential for Agro-based food processing industries in the state of Meghalaya is very high," the governor said, addressing a conference on startups and MSMEs in Food Processing at the ICAR complex here.

Besides the major food crops of rice and maize, the state is also renowned for its horticultural crops like orange and lemon, he said.

"Food processing in the state has to grow so as to achieve its full potential," he said adding that apart from agricultural produce meat processing can also be taken up in a big way in the state, and that will put Meghalaya among the top processors of meat products.

ICAR - NE Region director Dr Narendra Prakash said the state is one of the fastest growing in terms of agricultural hence the opportunity should be tapped for agri- business.

The region has immense scope and the youth should make the most out of it and taking part in the conference will help them generate ideas and implement them in their respective fields, he said.