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Food start-ups, MSMEs can create jobs for Manipur youth, says Heptulla
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Thursday, 29 November, 2018, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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Start-ups and micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the food processing sector will help generate employment opportunities in Manipur, and will put the state on fast growth trajectory.
This was stated by Najma Heptulla, governor of the north-eastern state, at the inauguration of a conference on Startups and MSMEs in Food Processing, organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) in Imphal recently.
The meet was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), ICAR for the North-Eastern Hill (NEH) Region, Imphal, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
Heptulla expressed the need to promote food processing industry in the state, as it would immensely help in reducing post-harvest wastage, and directly add to the incomes of the farmers at the bottom of the pyramid.
She added that since Manipur is primarily dependent on agriculture, food processing will be its natural progression for all rounded development. To begin with, special emphasis must be given to home based cottage industries, where in women can be engaged in a big way, and then gradually move up to big set-ups.
Start-ups and MSMEs working or planning to work in this sector will have huge benefit of the abundant resources, and raw materials available in the state. To make the food processing sector successful in Manipur, many schemes have been started by both the Central and the state governments. These include Startup India, Standup India and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana.
Heptulla said that since Manipur was at an early stage for development of the start-up and MSME ecosystem, this was the right time to discuss this topic. She advocated single-window clearance/processing of loans to the farmers and budding entrepreneurs to encourage them set up businesses in the state.
Apart from food processing, she added that cotton processing should also be taken up in a big way in the state. She concluded her address by saying that dissemination of information regarding government schemes was the key, as the majority of the population did not know about the schemes designed and implemented for them, thus they could not benefit from them.
Y Joykumar Singh, deputy chief minister, Manipur, presided over the conference and started his address by saying that the topic of the conference was very relevant to the state, as its government was aggressively focussing on Make in Manipur, and thanked Assocham for the initiative.
He added in his address the importance of new technology like biotechnology, new irrigation techniques, which can increase agricultural production, and, in turn, will provide enough produce for consumption, processing and exports.
Singh advised the farming community to follow crop rotation, as the same crop grown again and again on a piece of land with the same fertilisers tend to degrade its fertility. Crop diversification will add to the incomes of the farmers.
He added that on-ground initiatives are being taken by his government to develop the start-up and MSME sector of the state, and special focus is being laid on food processing.
Singh said that state government was taking numerous steps to make Manipur number one in organic farming.
He suggested solutions like air-lifting to the problem of goods transportation to the landlocked places of the state, and advised the officials attending the conference to look into the feasibility of the same.
He concluded his address by saying that state’s secondary sector must be developed to bring employment opportunities and to contribute to the economy of the Manipur, and invited the people to the state to join his government’s efforts in the same.
J C Ramthanga, principal secretary, Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Government of Manipur, in his address said that the state was gifted with suitable climate for agriculture and was heavily dependent on the same too, hence it was very important for his department to devise and implement various state government schemes in their true spirit.
He added that initiatives had been taken by the state department to boost organic farming under Mission Organic. He stated that the export of agri-produce was also on the radar of the state government to augment the income of state exchequer. He underlined the importance of food processing, since horticultural produce, in particular, is perishable in nature, and invited Assocham to promote the food processing industry in the state to tap its full potential.
Prasanna Kumar Bal, chairman, Manipur Rural Bank, Imphal, gave a banking perspective to the audience. He gave information on the growth of loans given to start-ups and the MSME sector in Manipur state in last 2-3 years, and the growth of formal banking channels in the state. He also highlighted the problem of repayment of loans, which was holding back banks to go full throttle in assisting the MSME sector with financial help.
I Meghachandra Singh, joint director, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre, Imphal, stated that the North-Eastern region, with its agro-friendly climate and agrarian roots, had the potential to be the sunrise zone for the food processing and other agro-business industries.
He added that the geo-climatic situation of Manipur offered an excellent scope for growing different varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices and plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants of high economic value. He said that organic farming was booming in the state, and had a lot of scope.
Chetan Vij, assistant director, ASSOCHAM, New Delhi, highlighted the importance of food processing in reducing post-harvest wastage and increasing rural income. He highlighted the schemes of Ministry of Food Processing Industries, including Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna, and encouraged young entrepreneurs to take the full benefit of its schemes.
The conference was also addressed by speakers from NABARD, Manipur, SIDBI, MSME Development Institute, the State Bank of India (SBI), the North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi), the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) and the Regional Centre of Organic Farming, Imphal.
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