Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 19 2022: A one-day capacity building workshop on food processing was held at the new settlement site of Chadong village in Kamjong district on Wednesday with village chairman Yangkahao Kasar in the chair.

Speaking on the occasion, Shubhaan Foundation chief executive officer Dr S Nandei stressed that as fish is a major diet and an inherited legacy of the Manipuris, the dearth of fish feeds in.

the state needs to be addressed through production of fish feeds from locally available material.

According to him, Manipur has lots of natural resources but unfortunately the right direction to tap these resources has not been there all this while.

The current agricultural practice is one harvest a year which is unfortunate but this can be upgraded to multiple cropping for more produces, the CEO said.

Shubhaan Foundation has initiated production of mustard seeds in about 4000 acres locally at present and the target is to achieve 20,000 acres to boost production of mustard seeds, Dr Nandei said adding that once the scale is upgraded to around one lakh acres production the state can be self sufficient in local mustard oil production.

Elaborating on a recent achievement of the Foundation, Dr Nandei pointed out that backward and forward linkage is achievable if the effort is there, citing the example of the Foundation's activity of procuring bamboo shoots from Tamenglong, processing it in Chadong village and marketing the product to New Delhi.

Food and nutrition expert Dr Kshetrimayum Vedmani Devi while interacting with the village community of Chadong, emphasised on the proactive role of local farmer producers in achieving self sufficiency in food production.

Every household can become a self-sufficient farmer producer when collective effort is achieved on set targets, she said.

The entry of external support to assist marginalised farmers in achieving self-sufficiency in food production is a welcome move, said Chadong village chairman Yangkahao Kasar while appreciating Shubhaan Foundation for its commitment to work for the villagers of Chadong who have been displaced by a state-sponsored development scheme since 2014.Bringing development to the village requires certain amenities including improving the present inter-village road which is in a deplorable condition, observed the workshop participants who also highlighted, various grievances in the village including lack of proper drinking water, health facilities and primary education for the children.

It may be mentioned that Shubhaan Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation focused on the uplift of the marginalised sections of community working in the agro-based food processing sector.

The Foundation is currently active in Mizoram and Manipur, with focus in extending its activities throughout North East India in promoting entrepreneurship in food processing, efficient packaging and marketing.

In Manipur, Shubhaan Foundation is involved in both backward and forward linkages involving production and processing, and identification of indigenous origins of seeds and fruits.

The Foundation is presently involved in large scale farming and is engaged with around 700 farmers from different districts of Manipur, including pockets, located in the central Manipur valley areas and in the hill districts.