Spice Festival showcases Meghalaya’s organic spice sector in Mumbai.
Meghalaya government organised a Meghalaya Spice Festival in Mumbai recently to showcase its organic spice economy. A 140-member delegation from Meghalaya comprising farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperative leaders and senior officials participated in this event.
A media statement by the Meghalaya Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said that the Meghalaya Spice Festival was an effort to amplify the national and global market outreach of Meghalaya’s premium organic spices, and the Inaugural edition itself, has started attracting buyers from Mumbai and beyond.
Hosting the festival in Mumbai reflects Government of Meghalaya’s deliberate push to position its spices in premium domestic and international markets while ensuring that growth translates into higher incomes for farmers.
The festival has been conceived as a strategic market-linkage platform to directly connect the state’s farmers and spice entrepreneurs with national retailers, institutional buyers and global exporters.
Quoting Shakil P Ahammed, Meghalaya Chief Secretary, the statement said: “Fundamentally, our farmers respect nature, they want to protect nature; that’s why we have the cleanest of the rivers, cleanest of the villages, and cleanest of the leadership.”
Vijay Kumar D, Commissioner and Secretary, Meghalaya Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, highlighted the state’s expanding market footprint. He said Meghalaya’s turmeric is already reaching domestic markets as well as markets in America, West Asia and Europe, with ginger exports to Singapore this year.
Emphasising sustainable partnerships, he said: “We want to find buyers who believe in sustainable agriculture. We want buyers who take our products to the right markets and give the right price to our farmers.”
He said that the state’s largest spice-processing unit is set to be inaugurated in the coming months, strengthening value addition and market readiness.
N Bhavani Sri, Secretary, National Turmeric Board, described the festival as a structured effort to harness the North-East’s agri ecosystem through farmer collectivisation, standardised branding and improved post-harvest systems.
Referring to the buyer-seller meet held in Shillong, fshe noted that several exporters have since begun sourcing Lakadong turmeric from Meghalaya, including firms engaged in high-value curcumin extract and turmeric oil. She emphasised that Meghalaya is well positioned to meet organic standards and tap the growing global wellness market.
The Spice Festival witnessed strong footfall, sustained buyer-seller engagement and structured meetings in spices and tourism, the statement said, adding, a high-level forum on ‘Opportunities in Meghalaya’s Organic Spice Ecosystem’ set the tone for policy dialogue. Procurement discussions, export enquiries and partnership explorations were part of the event.
Published on March 2, 2026