Meghalaya proposes setting up two Centres of Excellence: CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 3, 2020

The MDA government has sought the support of the Centre and Israel government for setting up of the Centers of Excellence to double farmers’ income with the help of technologies in the two districts of the state.

“We have put up proposal to government of India for setting up two Centres of Excellence in our state – at Jongsha in East Khasi Hills for vegetables and at Dawagre in East Garo Hills for citrus fruits,” Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma informed after a dialogue held with Ambassador of Israel, Dr Ron Malka and his team of experts on Tuesday.

The dialogue was centred around the Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project, which aims at providing a platform for a rapid transfer of technology to the farmers with the objective of increasing productivity and improving the quality of produce.

Stating that the proposal is at an advanced stage, Sangma said, “We are discussing with the government of India and the government of Israel. We are hopeful that after this meeting and this dialogue that has taken place that this proposal will move forward and we will be very soon able to complete the entire process.”

Asked about the cost estimates for setting up the centers, the chief minister said the centres of excellence are funded by the government of India at Rs 10 crore each.

Asserting that the partnership with the Israel government will be a game-changer for the state and its farmers, Sangma said this is very important for the state as technology plays a very important role in agriculture and horticulture.

He said because of the lack of technology and lack of research, the state was not able to provide maximum benefits and profitability to its farmers.

“Therefore, we feel that with the support of the Israel government, which has been a leader in agriculture technology in the world, this collaboration will go a long way in ensuring that we are able to help enhance the productivity and overall earnings of the farmers in our state,” the chief minister said.