Naginder Singh Kishor*
North Eastern Regional
Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) Ltd, is a Government Enterprise
under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The Company
with an authorized capital of Rs 10.00 Cr and a paid up capital of only Rs 7.62
Cr has registered a sales turnover of Rs. 96 Cr during the just concluded
fiscal year 2011-12 with a net profit of Rs 1 Cr.
NERAMAC is
playing a significant role by intervening in the sourcing, procuring and
marketing of cash crops like ginger, fresh pineapple, cashew nut, Kiwi fruits etc.
from the farmers and growers of the North Eastern Region. Its role as a dynamic
and vibrant marketing organization essentially to support farmers of North East
has started showing visibility through its operations to sustain farmers’
interest in production by application of post harvest technology thereby
arresting decline in prices arising from larger output of the farm produces and
marketing.
It has also
procured and marketed various other items such as turmeric, large cardamom,
maize etc, input supplies like fertilizer, assorted seeds, planting materials,
floriculture items etc. under the Horticulture Mission for North East &
Hill States (HMNEHS) & National Horticulture Mission. It has tied up with
reputed companies in the field of setting up of various Horticultural Projects
like High-tech green house, tissue culture laboratory, supply of planting
materials etc. besides its initiative in supporting tiny and small scale
processors in marketing their end products. NERAMAC helped farmers in getting better
price of their produce besides procurement of the same. The Corporation has
initiated building linkages by tying up through MoU with different farmer’s
Societies as well processed products manufacturers having FPO licenses. It has
helped building confidence among farmers and producers for a better network of
procurement through NERAMAC.
It has taken
initiative in involving various stakeholder particularly private sector in the
field of processing thereby playing a greater role to tap the market potential
for Kiwi and Passion fruit. Linkage were initiated with
Passion Fruit Growers Association of Manipur and for procurement of passion
fruit from them to make end product with the help of private and women
entrepreneurs and marketing them through NERAMAC. Similiarly, Kiwi fruit was introduced by sourcing them from Arunachal Pradesh by
involving private entrepreneur group.
In order to
support the large cardamom growers of Sikkim,
NERAMAC has set up a Large Cardamom Auction Centre at Rongpo, Sikkim
during the last fiscal. Large cardamom growers are getting immense benefit as
it has given them edge in getting value for their produce. Traders from all over the country
are coming and participating in this auction program which has given a fillip
to the cardamom producers.
NERAMAC has also
taken a lead in setting up a outlet at Siliguri Regulated market to make way
for produces like oranges and other fresh produces. This has given a facelift to the farmers. Oranges from Wakro and Tezu of Arunachal Pradesh are coming
to Assam.
The Company has hosted a series of
programs in the North-East to scale up awareness among the budding
agri-preneurs, inviting investment on food processing involving national
institutes and organizations of repute and large business houses in agro-
horticulture processing with the financial support of Ministry of Food
Processing Industries & North Eastern Council.
It has organized North East Food
Processing Expo, an exhibition for the fruit processors of North East followed
with conference and buyers sellers meet at Guwahati during January 2012 where
processors from all the North Eastern states participated. This initiative was
organised for the first time with the financial support of the Ministry of
DoNER.
NERAMAC in association with IIP,
Mumbai, organised for the first time in the region, INDPACK 2012 at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre,
Guwahati to support the first generation entrepreneurs of the North East in
food processing and value addition. Two food processing entrepreneurs from each
state of North East was taken to INDPACK 2011 at Hyderabad to give them the knowledge and
expertise in packaging with the support of North Eastern Council.
100 Orange farmers were taken to
National Research Centre for Citrus at Nagpur,
Maharastra for giving them exposure to better orange production technique &
demonstration.
North East Connect program was
organised to show case potential of north east at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai & Bengaluru seeking investment opportunities as well as
create business opportunity for the naturally grown organic produces of North
East.
For the first time, an initiative
has been taken to set up kiosks at six Malls in the National Capital Region
(NCR) Delhi to
sell North East produces to the consumers of NCR Delhi. Outlets in the name N E
Fresh are located at Shipra mall, EDM mall, Mahugana mall, Sab mall, Star City
mall & TDI mall at NCR Delhi. This was followed with weeklong Mall
festivals in the beginning.
(PIB Features.)
*****
*Media & Communication
Officer, PIB, New Delhi.
SS-138/SF-138/30-07-2012
RTS/HSN
Click here to
See Photos of NERAMAC.