Congress criticises Meghalaya for recurring vegetable price crisis, cites weak planning and supply chain
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Manuel Badwar says the vegetable price crash faced by farmers is driven by poor long-term planning and an
Reports of Meghalaya farmers being forced to sell cabbages at very low rates have sparked fresh criticism of the state government. Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) general secretary Manuel Badwar said the situation is not a one-time event but a recurring problem that repeatedly harms farmers.
Calls for long-term crop planning
Badwar told reporters that a price crash happens when production and market demand are not matched in advance. He argued that the government already has access to information through the Agriculture Department, which could help estimate production trends well before the harvest period.
In his view, low prices are only the visible outcome of a deeper issue. When excess produce reaches the market without enough planning for marketing and distribution, prices can fall to levels that farmers cannot recover from the cost of cultivation. He also pointed to a common cycle where many farmers switch to crops that earned better returns in the previous season, creating an oversupply of the same crop later.
Regular support for farmers and crop choices
Badwar said the state government should not rely only on market signals. He suggested that agriculture officials should interact with farmers on a regular basis and support crop diversification and production planning, so cultivation choices are guided by future supply conditions rather than last season’s price trends.He also criticised the effectiveness of efforts that focus only on promotion. Referring to initiatives such as a Pineapple Festival, Badwar said branding alone cannot raise farmers’ incomes if the farm-to-market supply chain is weak. He noted that Meghalaya pineapples are known for their quality but have a short shelf life, so timely transportation and distribution are essential to reach buyers.
According to Badwar, authorities should use existing data to forecast supply months ahead and plan how produce will be moved and sold. He said the challenge is not a lack of information, but the political will to put that information into a practical plan for agriculture and marketing.
