The North Eastern Regional Development Ministry has opened a marketing complex in Guwahati for the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
The NERAMAC Limited was established in 1982 as a marketing company in the North-eastern region’s Agri-Horti sector, under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER).
It was established to assist farmers/producers in the North East in obtaining remunerative prices for their produce, thereby bridging the gap between farmers and the market, as well as improving the agricultural, procurement, processing, and marketing infrastructure of India’s Northeastern Region.
NERAMAC is making continual efforts to develop the region’s farmers and quadruple their revenue by the end of 2022.
Objectives
To develop and market horticultural products both within and outside the north-eastern region, as well as to supply inputs, tools, and equipment needed for the development of horticulture and agro-based industries owned or run by the government, statutory body, company, firm, co-operative, or individual.
To initiate, establish, acquire, purchase, sell, and manage projects for the development of horticultural products, such as the establishment of nurseries and commercial orchards, seed stations, and so on, as well as to act as an agent for the distribution of seeds, plants, processed food, and other such products related to the development of horticultural products.
To manage, promote, assist, and expedite the export of raw and completed horticultural produce and equipment, as well as the import of raw and finished horticultural produce and equipment, in order to enhance the company’s operations.
Marketing
NERAMAC assists in the sourcing, procurement, and marketing of various Agro-Horticultural Commodities produced by farmers of pineapple, ginger, banana, chillies, black pepper, cashew nuts, and other minor forest products such as hill grass. It also provides agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilisers to farmers. NERAMAC also markets the products of farmers who generate planting materials under Horticulture Mission Schemes.
Keeping in mind its mandate for agricultural prosperity in the NE Region, NERAMAC typically engages in activities such as procurement and marketing of various agro-horticultural produce such as Ginger, Bird’s Eye Chilies, Maize, Black Pepper, Raw Cashew Nut, Pineapple, Supari, Brooms, and others outside the region to assist farmers in obtaining economic returns.
NERAMAC is also in charge of marketing agro-horticultural products such as fertilisers and seeds in order to support the region’s overall agricultural development. Marketing aid to the region’s small and cottage scale food processing enterprises.
True Potato Seeds (TPS) were exported by NERAMAC from the NEC-sponsored initiative in Nagichera, Tripura. TPS has been exported to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Mexico, and South Korea so far.
Processing
The following processing plants will be operational soon under the PPP model:
- Multi-fruit Processing Plant, Silchar (Assam)
- Pineapple Juice Concentration Plant, Nalkata (Tripura)
- Integrated Ginger Processing Plant (GPP), Byrnihat (Meghalaya)
Achievements
Though NERAMAC operated on a modest scale, their market intervention assisted growers of pineapple, orange, ginger, cashew nut, citronella grass, grass broom, and other crops in obtaining a higher price for their products.
Marketing Intervention: NERAMAC’s marketing intervention in agricultural commodities like ginger, citronella oil, Grass Broom, and bamboo sticks helped thousands of farmers cultivate these crops to achieve a fair price.