Shillong, Oct 11: Concluding his high-level two-day official visit to Meghalaya, Dr. Álvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), travelled to Jirang in the Ri-Bhoi district today to review the grassroots impact of the Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Project (Megha-LAMP).
The IFAD delegation arrived at Jirang Village to visit the Jirang Organic Agro Farmers Produce site, a community-anchored model farm and primary processing initiative led by the Fruits Valley Farmers Producer Company Limited (FPC).
The IFAD President participated in an interactive sessions with FPO leadership, progressive farmers, and local agri-enterprise operators from the Jirang Block, alongside an inspection and sampling of processed, packaged organic spice products.
During his interaction with the FPO leadership, progressive farmers, and local agri-enterprise operators aMegha-LAMP Dr.Álvaro Lario lauded the community’s remarkable enterprise growth and commercial model. Expressing deep appreciation for their trajectory under the Megha-LAMP framework, he stated:
“I think it’s something that we are very proud of what they have achieved, and the best goal is probably that they continue raising the income, improving their livelihoods and hopefully in the future also continue producing more and having more value added so that it can be reinvested in the community.”
Dr. Vijay Kumar D., IAS, CEO of the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), Government of Meghalaya, lauded the entrepreneurial success and growth potential. He also emphasized on the importance of scaling operations and utilizing external support and leveraging on more schemes of the Government of India.
Commending the community’s leadership and collective efforts, he reaffirmed the government’s continued commitment and steadfast support for expanding future project collaborations with IFAD.
Notably, the Jirang initiative stands out as a flagship model farm operating under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) framework to successfully transition traditional farming into profitable commercial agriculture. Backed by US$ 0.20 million (approximately ₹1.9 crore) in IFAD infrastructure and project support, the enterprise reaches 433 farmer members from across the region, a majority of whom are women.
The collective has demonstrated impressive productivity, having traded over 60 metric tonnes (MT) of GI-tagged Khasi Mandarin, 181 MT of ginger, and upwards of 10 MT of pineapple.
Reflecting on the progress achieved throughout the tour, the two-day delegation review highlighted the transformative trajectory of rural development across Meghalaya.
On Day One, the IFAD President inspected community-led cooperative ecosystems at the Umwang Pyllun Integrated Village Cooperative Society (IVCS) and the Eastern Ri-Bhoi Organic Farmer Producer Company (Erifa) Prime Hub in Bhoirymbong, culminating in a historic export flag-off of fresh Megha-1 turmeric to Singapore.
Together, these engagements have underscored how Megha-LAMP’s integration of financial services, custom hiring mechanization, heavy-duty spice processing infrastructure, and direct market linkages are successfully dismantling traditional barriers, eliminating middlemen, and creating sustainable economic independence for rural farming communities across the state.
