Name of the Event: “Meghalaya Buckwheat – Global Showcase 2022 – “Create, Collaborate, Innovate”
Date of the Event: 9th & 10th September 2022
Venue for the Event: Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHM) Campus, Mawdiangdiang, Shillong
Introduction:
One of the most underutilized, ignored and recently rediscovered superfoods, perennial Buckwheat or Jarain (Fagopyrum cymosum) as it is known in the Khasi & Jaintia Hills, had for long been considered as an invasive weed whose leaves were sometimes used as a vegetable. However, its sister species Fagopyrum esculentum, known as common Buckwheat, is a very popular pseudocereal in great demand globally as a superfood for its multiple health benefits. With the agro climatic conditions of Meghalaya being conducive to the growing of this crop, the Meghalaya Farmers (Empowerment) Commission (MFEC) initiated the cultivation of Buckwheat through field trials in the village of Umtong, East Khasi Hills and the KVK, Upper Shillong in 2020 with seeds obtained from VKPS, Almora which, however, failed due to the devastating impact of cyclone Amphan. Luckily trials under protected cultivation in the BRDC, Upper Shillong and subsequent trials in the KVK were successful in the production of seed which became the foundation for a successful pilot plantation of 4 acres involving 25 farmers in 2021.
Buckwheat is a pseudo cereal, somewhat like Quinoa and is a good source of carbohydrates like Rice and Wheat but has more than both and is gluten-free. Since it has a low-medium Glycemic Index (55) as compared to Wheat (75) and Rice (73), Buckwheat is a good option for people with type 2 diabetes and those suffering from Coeliac disease. Its amino acids are also very balanced, is rich in minerals, vitamins and other bio-active compounds and is increasingly being deemed as a superfood by global dietitians.
For Meghalaya the advantages of cultivating Buckwheat are manifold. It is a short-duration crop, (about 3 months), rain-fed, and suitable for marginal and low-fertile soils of Meghalaya. Most importantly, the cost of cultivation is low as no chemical inputs are required.
India imports about 628 metric tonnes of Buckwheat every year, mostly as finished products. Russia, with an annual production of about 80000 M.T is the largest producer in the world, while Japan is the largest importer and imports more than 42000 M.T. annually. The made-in-Japan Buckwheat Soba noodles are a hot global product. Considering that India is an importer of Buckwheat, Meghalaya could be a first mover State in import substitution of buckwheat while parallelly exporting to countries like Japan, whose demand, we learn, is insatiable. If properly planned and executed there is, in fact, potential for Meghalaya to become the leading buckwheat producer of the country.
Objective of the Buckwheat Showcase
To build up Meghalaya as the Come -To destination for all things Buckwheat through a combination of farmer driven area expansion, entrepreneur led post-harvest processing and development of value-added products, market outreach ultimately leading to exports to markets in Japan, East and Southeast Asia.
To this end the showcase is being organized by the MFEC to create awareness about the income and business generating potential of the crop amongst farmers and agri-enterprises of Meghalaya and the country by providing a platform for interaction with potential buyers. The focus of the event will be on networking and business development in order to not only facilitate and induce the widespread cultivation of Buckwheat in the state, but to also provide farmers, food processing entrepreneurs, hospitality captains, the HoReCa, service and export sectors an opportunity to network with, collaborate and interact with producers, industry experts, value chain actors and processors to bring about profitable and innovative changes in the entire buckwheat value chain through;
