Manipur: Chief Minister N Biren Singh reaffirms commitment to eradicating drugs

In an inaugural function of the three-day-long Agri Horti Expo for Organic and Indigenous Products of Manipur and Buyer Seller Meet organized by Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh expressed his unwavering commitment to eradicating drugs in the state. The meet is sponsored by the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, Ministry of Commerce, MOVCDNER, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India and State Government of Manipur and will continue till the 30th of this month.

During his speech, the Chief Minister indirectly referred to the recent incident of vandalism in Churachandpur district and stated that some people are highly agitated and unhappy with the state government's initiative to put an end to poppy cultivation in Manipur. However, he emphasized that the government will not give up its efforts to end poppy cultivation and preserve reserve forest areas for the sake of future generations.

"People who do drug business used to operate in gangs. So I suspect that they may even carry out physical assault upon him, not only political attack. But I am not scared to face any kind of challenges or threat that give in eradication of drugs from state," he expressed.

The Chief Minister also spoke about the various initiatives taken by the State Government to develop horticulture products and promote organic farming, stating that the State could become a model state among the Northeast States if the State's potential and farmers' skill are utilized suitably. He stressed the need for the Horticulture Department to identify the product suitability and give emphasis on planting the identified product and also mentioned on providing monetary and technical support to enhance their production.

Furthermore, N. Biren recalled that the Government implemented organic farming in various parts of the State with 5000 farmers covering 5000 hectares in 2016. The area covered under organic farming has been expanded to 37,900 hectares in the year 2021-22, he added.

The Chief Minister also informed the audience that the Market Intervention Scheme for Horticultural Products has been launched to support farmers with assured markets for their produce and preventive measures to curb food losses in the State. He assured that farmers need not worry about a marketing platform for their produce as the Government has provision for buyback of their produce.

Stating that the Food Processing Unit (MAG FRUIT FACTORY) at Nilakuthi is ready for inauguration, he informed that the Unit will have cold storage facility, cleaning, grading, sorting, and packing facilities, specialized storage facilities, and more. The State government is all set to introduce Advanced Drone Technology in agriculture and allied sectors for the benefit of the farming community.

The Chief Minister expressed hopefulness that the expo would promote and increase the sale and marketing of organic products outside the country and export, stating that organic product worth of Rs. 200 crores have been sold in the last six years and out of which Rs. 30 crores worth of products have been sold outside the State and about Rs. 1.5 crore has been exported outside the country.