Green Foundation eyeing export to Arab, African countries
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 18 2023: Green Foundation has started preparations to export vegetables and forest products of the state to Arab and African countries in the coming months.

As part of the preparations, the Foundation and Indo-Myanmar Trade Union jointly conducted an orientation programme on 'Export potential of agri-products and documentation for farmer producer companies' at the Foundation's Farmers Convention Centre located at Kwakeithel Awang Thiyam Leikai on Wednesday .

The orientation programme was attended by chief executive officers (CEO) of farmer producer organisations and board of directors of farmer producer companies formed by groups of farmers under the Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) of the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCDNER).

Regarding the orientation programme, Green Foundation CEO U Himmat said that the orientation programme was conducted to expand market of different products produced by farmers of the state.

He said that majority of the products of farmers of the state are sold in Imphal while Dimapur in Nagaland is the farthest market farmers of the state could sell their products.

When farm products from outside are brought into the state and sold at cheaper rates in Imphal, state's farmers could not match the rates and accordingly find no market for their products.

This compels farmers of the state to sell their products at cheaper rates or else their products would perish, he said, adding that one main factor for creating this problem is the existence of only one market for state farmers in Imphal.

According to U Himmat, the main objective of organising the orientation programme is to expand market for products of the farmers of Manipur to other states of the country and abroad.

Which products of the state would have more demand outside will be discussed during the programme even as the Foundation is eyeing developed countries like USA and Japan and even China.

With Middle East countries mostly consuming imported vegetables in huge quantities and African countries using handloom and forest products from India, Manipur could also send these products but farmers of the state lack knowledge on import-export business, he observed, adding that the orientation programme will make the farmers aware about expanding their market as also procedures for possessing export licence.

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