Meghalaya Minister AL Hek asserts top priority to make state self-sufficient in meat production

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 11: Minister in charge of animal husbandry and veterinary A.L Hek asserted his top priority is to make Meghalaya self-sufficient in meat production.

Speaking to media persons, Hek said that the majority of the population in Meghalaya consumes meat but everyone knows there is a huge gap between supply and demand hence there is a need to come out with ways and means to make the state self-sufficient in meat production.

Hek informed that after he was appointed as minister in charge of animal husbandry and veterinary he immediately called for an informal meeting with senior officers of the department to understand the organizational structure of the department.

“In order to make Meghalaya self-sufficient in meat production, the department will need to come out with various interventions whether it is for production of pork, beef, chicken or mutton,” said Hek.

Hek said that since he is new in the department he has not yet reviewed on the implementation of the Piggery Mission but soon he will seek information from the officers to get more knowledge on how the mission works so that the state becomes self-sufficient.

He added that he does not want to comment much on the alleged cattle smuggling as he doesn’t know about the modus operandi of the cattle smuggling but he will have an in-depth discussion with all officers on the particular issue.

Upscaling Hobby to Business- the story of Harador Khariong’s Plant Parenthood

“If done with full commitment and passion whether it’s art, science or music, one can achieve their goal to make things work better and the satisfaction you will get is beyond your imagination”— Harador Khariong, Founder-Plant Parenthood

For Harador Khariong, a resident of Wahingdoh Shillong, East Khasi Hills Meghalaya, Plant Parenthood started as a hobby and out of love for plants during her college days. This eventually became more interesting and turned to be a career option in planting in the year 2020, especially succulents because they were relatively easier to take care of.

It was during the Northeast Food Show 2022 that Harador saw few entrepreneurs with their stall under the umbrella of PRIME, after which she learned in detail about PRIME and how it has helped entrepreneurs succeed in their business. Therefore, in the same year she enrolled herself in the Pre – Incubation batch 3.

Through the PRIME’s Pre-Incubation program, she learned more about upscaling her business and ultimately launched the ‘Plant Parenthood’ initiative.

This article has been featured in collaboration with PRIME Entrepreneurship Meghalaya. To know more about PRIME, visit: https://www.primemeghalaya.com/