Meghalaya exports 1.3 tonnes of pineapples to Middle East

The Department of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare and Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) recently secured market linkages for over 1.3 tonnes of pineapples to the Middle East following the successful export of Khasi mandarin previous year.

The pineapples, which originated from Silchang Dimrimbri Palwa Adling IVCS in the East Garo Hills region, were sold at malls in Dubai, Kuwait, and Sharjah.

According to a formal declaration, farmers are reaping the rewards of their labour with a price realisation boost from these trades of up to two times. Officials added that local efforts had produced long-lasting market connections with domestic processors and retailers.

Over 40 tonnes of pineapples were delivered to a processor in Karnataka last year so they could be transported to markets in Europe and North America. This year, the same processor erected a mobile processing unit in Umdihar IVCS in the Ri Bhoi region to accept higher volumes. In the unit's first week of operation, over 23 tonnes of pineapples were processed.