Leadership programme held in EJH to promote Lakadong turmeric and entrepreneurship

Eddiana ShyllaMarch 22, 2021

Meghalaya has earned a lot of attention for its Lakadong turmeric. This is due to its incredibly high curcumin content and rich health benefits. India, renowned for its love of spices, and turmeric, in particular, is valued for its high quality.

Consequently, the demand for Meghalaya’s high curcumin turmeric powder has been increasing nationwide. Understanding this opportunity, the Maitlynti Rural Development Society (MRDS) from Bataw, Khiehriat Block, East Jaintia Hills District (EJHD) has organised a two-day Youth Leadership Training Programme on 19th and 20th March.

The programme is supported by the office of Deputy Commissioner East Jaintia Hills District and a collaborative effort by the Maitlynti Rural Development Society (MRDS), District Horticulture Officer (HDO), EJHD- Akbar Malang and Program Officer of District Commence and Industries Centre (PO-DCIC), EJHD- D. Passah.

The General Secretary of MRDS- Deihok Sumer, in his speech, emphasized the importance of farming Lakadong turmeric as it would be beneficial for the farmers and informed the interested farmers to come together under the guidance of the Maitlynti Rural Development Society.

Educating the farmers about farming Lakadong turmeric is Akbar Malang (HDO) who shared his experiences then proceeded with a detailed presentation regarding the farming process of the Lakadong turmeric and displayed the different kinds of turmeric like the Lakadong, Lachein and Ladaw.

The entrepreneur session was led by the D Passah from DCIC who introduced the villagers to the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a scheme that focuses on creating self-employment opportunities for unemployed youth and traditional artisans in the non-farm sector through micro-enterprise establishments.

“Launched in 2008, the scheme provides self-employment opportunities for the youths and local artisans. The eligibility to apply requires a person to pass the 8th standard which enables them access to projects worth more than Rs.5 lakhs in the service sector and more than Rs.10 lakhs in the manufacturing sector“, D Passah informed.

He also mentioned that the margin money contribution is 5% of the cost of the project for borrowers and the subsidy is 35% of the cost of the project in rural areas and 25% in urban areas.