Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a tall perennial grass grown in the tropical and subtropical climate regions of South East Asia. It is native to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and India. India is one of the front runners in the production of Lemongrass, cultivated mostly in the Western Ghats and the foothills of the Himalayan range.
The Northeast India is rich in culture and traditions that are kept alive to this day. Also rich is the land of this region. We, at Zizira, a food products company operating from Shillong Meghalaya, can say that with confidence as we are locals and are in touch with our hardworking farmers. You may find out story interesting.
Zizira explorers have been chronicling stories of small and marginal farm folks’ struggles and efforts to market the harvest of their toils. Unlike in many other states of India, where goods move from the farm to the wholesale market with ease by road or rail, the undulating terrain of Northeast India makes transportation challenging.
Looking at the current trends, it doesn’t seem long when the farmers discard Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and toxic pesticides. And with it, will come hopes of expanding natural farming methods in Meghalaya.This post is a continuation of our previous conversation with Mr. Canning Shabong, an Agricultural Development Officer in the Department of Agriculture, Meghalaya. He had talked about the Government’s commitment to promoting natural and organic farming.
With coffee grown in India set to record the highest production in 2015-16 (348,000 MT as against 320,000 MT the previous year), the market for coffee is huge with many up and coming coffee outlets and startups joining in. Given that 70% of what is produced is exported, India emerges as the third largest producer of coffee from Asia.In view of this upsurge, coffee growers from Northeast India produced 220 MT of coffee in 2014-15 which translates to a meagre 0.07% of the total production in India. However, the potential is much higher owing to the conducive climatic and topographical conditions of Northeast India.
Zizira explorers were curious to find out how much the people of Shillong, with a backyard garden, know about the hidden potential of Meghalaya in terms of agriculture and horticulture. We set out to find more! Walk down any road winding its way through households and you are bound to see patches of cabbage, creepers of chow-chow, some beans and even lemongrass being tended to.
Similar to most of the states in India, Meghalaya also is an agrarian state where 83% of the population depends on agriculture. Through all of Zizira explorers’ numerous field visits we learnt that majority of the farmers in Meghalaya are small-scale farmers. This means that each such farmer holds no more than 0.2 hectares on an average. Because of these limited and restrictive plot sizes, these farmers produce only enough for self-consumption.
In our post on the potential of aromatic plants in Meghalaya, there was a mention of Artemisia annua or wormwood. It is a medicinal herb that has been tested and found favourable for growing in Meghalaya. The Zizira explorers were on to find out more.