Prahlad Singh Patel calls Meghalaya a hub of infinite possibilities
Union Minister of State for Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated a two-day North East Summit on Food Processing Opportunities in Shillong, Meghalaya, on 24 September.
“Government of India has come up with schemes to aid the distribution of products,” he informed adding that the only concern is being able to clearly articulate the issues or challenges faced during processing.
Member of Board of Governors IIM Shillong, Atul Kulkarni stated that in the Northeast, there are only 60,000 units registered under MSME, which accounts for only 0.7 percent of the country’s total registered units. He highlighted the lack of awareness of Government schemes among the public.
Sharing some of the challenges that the Entrepreneurs face in the region, he said that insufficient institutional support and inadequate R&D are some that can be resolved by the Ministry. Among the challenges, poor infrastructure and less financial support is what is dragging the region down even though there is potential, stated Kulkarni. He added that there is entrepreneurial competence in the NE region, which is a good sign and it can be capitalized to generate more income for farmers and provide employment opportunities.