Shillong: Meghalaya on Friday opened the inaugural Northeast India Organic Week, bringing together delegations and buyers from 13 countries in a push to position the state and the wider region as a global organic agriculture hub.
The event is being organised in partnership with APEDA, the Union Commerce Ministry and IFOAM-Organics Asia.
Officials said participants from Malaysia, Taiwan, Mongolia, Indonesia, New Zealand and several other nations are attending, signalling growing international interest in the Northeast as a gateway for organic trade.
APEDA general manager Dr Saswati Bose called the initiative a “milestone for India and the global organic community”, citing Meghalaya’s biodiversity and strong community-driven farming systems.
She noted that APEDA has facilitated the entry of Meghalaya’s turmeric, ginger, spices and fruits into West Asian markets.
State Agriculture Commissioner and Secretary Dr Vijay Kumar D said Meghalaya is among the country’s fastest-growing states, driven largely by agriculture, recording 10 per cent growth over the past four years.
He said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s vision is to more than double farmers’ income by 2028, supported by a hub-and-spoke model that links village-level processing to larger facilities.
A new Rs. 25-crore ginger processing unit, now the largest organic spice processing project in the Northeast, is part of this expansion.
Dr Kumar described Lakadong turmeric—with curcumin content of up to 13 per cent—as among the world’s finest.
The state aims to certify one lakh hectares, or nearly a quarter of its cultivated land, as organic by 2028, and is setting up an extraction facility for bio-curcumin tablets.
He also highlighted climate action measures under the Green Meghalaya initiative, including the use of bamboo-based biochar to restore acidic soils.
APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev said Meghalaya holds “significant export potential” and underscored the need for stronger state partnerships to improve logistics and last-mile connectivity.
He also pointed to the launch of the latest National Programme for Organic Production, which focuses on tightening certification systems.
IFOAM-Asia executive director Jennifer Chang described the event as a major milestone for the global organic movement.
Reflecting on her visit to a Khasi mandarin orchard in Mawphu, she said farmers in the region are “organic by default” and natural stewards of biodiversity.
IFOAM advisor Brendan Hoare urged long-term global cooperation, calling the organic movement “borderless and collaborative”.
The inauguration was followed by the opening of an exhibition showcasing certified organic products from farmer producer organisations, cooperatives and enterprises across the Northeast.
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A dedicated Meghalaya Organic Pavilion displayed state-backed produce alongside kiosks from APEDA, the Tea Board, the Directorate of Food Processing and other bodies.
Presenting an economic overview, CRISIL associate director Priyanka Uday said Meghalaya is emerging as a key player in India’s organic sector.
She highlighted a rise in exports, including 15 metric tonnes of organic ginger shipped to Dubai between 2019 and 2023, along with increasing sales of organic black pepper.
GI-tagged Khasi mandarins, she added, have also entered Gulf markets through the Lulu Group.
The event will continue till December 1, featuring a buyer-seller meet and discussions on NPOP regulations and labelling norms, with a focus on strengthening youth-led innovation and building a resilient organic agriculture ecosystem for the region.
