Imphal: Khousabung in Churachandpur district, which is hosting the 11th State Level Pineapple Festival, will have a food processing unit with cold storage facility.
Inaugurating the festival on Thursday, Manipur chief minister Biren Singh announced that Khousabung would be included in the list of selected sites for a food processing unit.
Processing units worth Rs 20 crore each will be constructed at four locations under a central scheme.
The list had already been forwarded to the central government a few days back, Biren Singh said.
Nearly 35 farmers participated in the pineapple festival.
Lamhoi Gangte, a farmer from Churachandpur, said the festival provided the farmers a platform for marketing their products.
"My family has been involved in pineapple farming for past 40 years. We have one acre of pineapple farm and in season we earn a profit of about Rs 60,000," said Gangte.
Biren Singh said necessary steps would be taken up to revamp the Moirang-Khousabung Road either under PMGSY or state PWD work programme at the earliest.
Stating that the central government is at present running a scheme - Khelo India - under which village playgrounds are being developed across the country, the chief minister announced that the playground at Khousabung would be developed under this scheme.
Festivals to promote different horticulture products are being organised in different parts of the state.
"We have organised a lemon festival at Kachai, pineapple festivals at Andro and Khousabung, an orange festival at Tamenglong and a ginger festival at Pherzawl and they not only enhanced sale and production of horticulture products but also encouraged the sense of competition among farmers," the chief minister said.
Biren Singh said ever since a ginger festival was organised at Pherzawl, the farmers in the district now have permanent buyers.
Agriculture minister V. Hangkhanlian said, "This festival is not just an event but a platform to encourage the farmers to produce more pineapples in the coming years."
Manipur Pineapple Festival awards were distributed to different farmers of the area.
Prior to the inaugural function, Biren Singh also inaugurated a health and wellness centre at Khoirentak in Churachandpur district.
Till now, 20 such centres have been opened under the Ayushman Bharat in the state.
