The Meghalaya Strawberry Festival 2026 commenced on Tuesday at Wah-Ling-Syiem Meadows in Smit, located about 15 km from Shillong. The event highlights the Meghalaya government’s push to promote agro-tourism and strengthen entrepreneurship through large-scale strawberry cultivation.
Organised to connect farmers directly with consumers and buyers, the festival serves as a vibrant platform for market access and rural enterprise development.
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Direct Market Access for Farmers
The festival enables local strawberry growers and entrepreneurs to showcase their produce without intermediaries. Stalls feature freshly harvested strawberries along with a variety of value-added products such as jams, juices, desserts, wines and other processed items.
Visitors can also enjoy a farm-to-table experience, sampling fresh strawberry-based delicacies prepared on-site. As a result, the festival not only boosts sales but also enhances awareness about Meghalaya’s growing horticulture sector.
Officials believe that such initiatives help farmers secure better prices while encouraging innovation in food processing and branding.
Export Potential and Government Support
Rosetta Mary Kurbah, Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, emphasised the export potential of strawberries grown in the region. She noted that processed by-products often have higher market demand and better profitability.
“Strawberries have export potential. Their by-products are more marketable,” she said, adding that both state and central government schemes support high-value agriculture and supply chain development.
She highlighted flagship programmes such as PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-Driven Enterprises) along with other central government initiatives aimed at strengthening agri-entrepreneurship.
High-Value Agriculture on the Rise
To further expand cultivation, the horticulture department distributes three popular strawberry varieties — Winter Dawn, Sweet Sensation and Festival. These varieties suit Meghalaya’s climate and offer high yield and quality fruit.
The Deputy Commissioner encouraged farmers to approach the horticulture department to avail themselves of seeds, training and financial assistance under various schemes.
With increasing consumer demand and supportive policies, strawberry farming has emerged as a promising high-value crop in Meghalaya. Moreover, agro-tourism events like the Strawberry Festival help position the state as a niche destination for agricultural tourism.
By blending farming, entrepreneurship and tourism, the Meghalaya Strawberry Festival 2026 underscores the state government’s vision to create sustainable income opportunities for rural communities while showcasing local produce to wider markets.
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