Pineapple farms found destroyed
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 17 2024: Pineapple plantation sites as vast as 186 acres (approx) at Ngariyan hillranges have been found destroyed in the recent hailstorm/thunderstorm which left behind a trail of destruction in different parts of the State.

The pineapple plantations which were spoiled in the recent intense hailstorm were witnessed by a group of media persons who went on a media tour at two pineapple plantation sites at Ngariyan today.

The media tour was organised as part of the two day awareness programme on horticulture schemes organise by the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union with the assistance of Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation.

The media team was accompanied by the officials of Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), representatives of NGOs under MOMA and they witnessed pineapples planted at Tamaram village at Ngariyan Hill being devastated by the hailstorm.

The pineapples were planted at the hillrange of Ngariyan by about 530 farmers of Tamaram and adjacent villages with MOMA as the implementing agency under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) .

Speaking to the media, one farmer Somingam Keishing said that most of the pineapples planted at Ngariyan are of queen variety and they were planted at 186 acres of land under Yelhoumee Organic Farmer Producer Company.

Saying the recent hailstorm has caused widespread damage to the pineapple plantations, he added that pineapple is the main crop planted at Tamaram.

He said that they have approached the Government to give some sort of compensation to them for the crop loss.

The farmer, however, thanked MOMA for building a pineapple storage and processing unit at their village Tamaram.

Before the visit at Tamaram, the media team went to Thayong which has about 1200 people and 198 households and met the locals.

Village chief of Thayong M Achung Kom said that they didn't use any technical knowledge while planting pineapples till 2015 .

Saying that MOMA reached out to them in 2015-2016 and started giving knowledge on organic farming and the necessary materials, the village chief added that planting pineapples requires a lot of work.

He also said that the farmers at Thayong also plant turmeric, ginger, banana and other crops and the main drawback they have been facing is the non availability of a cold storage facility.

Many crops ended up perishing, he added.

Florence, a farmer, said that about 2 lakh pineapples of kew variety are planted at Thayong.

About marketing, she said that traders also come to them and they also go to the market directly.

She said that MOMA had also procured their produce in the off-season sometimes.

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