Shillong, Jul 7 (PTI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday lauded the farmers involved in planting, processing and sales of aromatic plants in Ri-Bhoi district.

He assured them of all assistance from the state to upscale their business.

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The chief minister visited the farms at Byrwa village and held interaction with farmers who are beneficiaries of the Aroma Mission initiative.

He applauded the efforts of the group at Byrwa, who shared their plans to create perfumes using the extracted oils from aromatic plants.

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During his visit, the CM met Bestarly Marwein who runs the startup Fountain Green JLG promoting medicinal and aromatic essential oils in the state.

The enterprise, in collaboration with women entrepreneurs, operates three essential oil distillation units to propagate various plants such as Citronella, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Vetiver, Winter Green, and Geranium, which are grown organically.

In addition to selling oils in bulk, Fountain Green JLG crafts fully natural essential oil soaps, mosquito repellents, mosquito repellent creams, mosquito repellent floor mops, and agarbatti.

The startup has received support from PRIME, which provided mentoring, capacity building, funding, and product development assistance.

Sangma announced that the government would grant additional financial aid to purchase machinery, further enhancing the unit's capabilities at Byrwa, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

This investment signifies the government's commitment to ensuring value addition and tapping into the immense potential of aromatic plants, he said.

The Meghalaya Aroma Mission, launched in 2019 as a flagship initiative by the chief minister, aims to harness the economic and environmental benefits of aromatic plant cultivation. Through this mission, the government is dedicated to supporting local farmers and entrepreneurs in the cultivation, processing, and value addition of aromatic plants.

The chief minister also announced the launch of the "Meghalaya Rafting" programme at the Whitewater Village, also in the Ri-Bhoi district.

Recognizing the potential of rafting, he said the government initiated the "Meghalaya Rafting" programme to promote the sport in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)