Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Sunday inaugurated the state’s first centrifuged latex manufacturing unit at Koksi Nengsat, under the Songsak Community & Rural Development Block in East Garo Hills district. The unit, only the second of its kind in the entire Northeast, is part of the state government’s broader push to boost agro-based entrepreneurship and improve farmer incomes.
Funded at ₹18.8 crore by the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), the project is being implemented by the Mendipathar Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MMCS) under the leadership of Sr Rose. The facility is expected to benefit nearly 3,000 rubber farmers in the Garo Hills region by providing competitive prices and eliminating middlemen from the rubber supply chain.
Proud to inaugurate the MEGHTEX Centrifuging Unit at Koksi Nengsat, East Garo Hills District, Meghalaya’s first facility dedicated to centrifuged latex production.
Developed under the Community Public-Private Partnership (CPPP) model with an investment of ₹18.8 crore funded… pic.twitter.com/hRZEBu9Uil
— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) July 28, 2025
“This unit is a boon for the Garo Hills and the state as a whole,” said Chief Minister Sangma. “Our government’s priority has been to understand the concerns of our farmers and design interventions that directly support them.”
He highlighted ongoing state-run schemes such as Focus, Focus+, and CM Farm+ aimed at improving livelihoods. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal to double farmers’ income, Sangma noted that Meghalaya must go further due to its high rural farming dependence. “To achieve our $10 billion economy target, improving farmer incomes and creating sustainable market linkages is essential,” he added.
Addressing challenges in the traditional rubber industry, Sangma emphasized the need to break away from dependency on external middlemen. “We urge all rubber plantation farmers to sell their raw rubber to this unit, which will offer the best prices and reduce delays,” he said.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for Meghalaya’s first fruit dehydration unit, a ₹23 crore facility that will process 7,400 metric tonnes of fruit annually. Expected to be completed by November 2026, the project aims to support over 5,000 fruit farmers, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve income through value addition.
Citing success stories from across the state, Sangma pointed to the Nokma ice cream unit producing 1 lakh packets daily, Awang chips, and mushroom farming in Mendipathar as examples of local entrepreneurship driving job creation and economic growth. “We’re setting up 40 such processing units to further support farming communities,” he said.
Asserting that government jobs are no longer sufficient to meet employment needs, Sangma said the state is focusing on building an ecosystem that encourages youth entrepreneurship. “Through CM Elevate, we’re providing financial support and guidance to local business ventures,” he added.
The twin announcements mark a significant step in Meghalaya’s strategy to diversify rural income sources and strengthen agro-processing infrastructure across the state.
