Tura, July 19: Small and marginal farmers in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills will now have access to modern farm equipment on rent with the inauguration of a Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) at Darechikgre (Bolwari) village under Gambegre C&RD Block.

The centre, set up under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture (AICRP-WIA), was inaugurated by Gambegre MLA Dr Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma. The event was attended by PRÍME Project Head Minha Riyaz Khan, Dean of the College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University (Imphal), Tura, Dr Jyoti V. Vastrad, AICRP-WIA Unit Coordinator Dr Anupama Mishra, faculty members, village leaders, self-help groups and farmers.

The facility has been established to address one of the biggest challenges faced by small farmers—access to expensive agricultural machinery. It will provide equipment on a rental basis, enabling timely farm operations, reducing labour dependence and cultivation costs, and improving productivity.

The centre is equipped with a power tiller, power weeder, pulveriser, solar dryer, sprayer and sealing machine, covering activities from land preparation and crop management to post-harvest processing, value addition and packaging.

In another initiative aimed at empowering rural women, Comilla cotton-based sanitary pads, manufactured from cotton grown in the Garo Hills under an ICAR-CICR, Nagpur project led by Dr Jyoti V. Vastrad, were distributed among women beneficiaries to promote menstrual hygiene and encourage the use of affordable, locally produced sanitary products.

The programme also witnessed the handing over of a commercial dough mixer to the ‘Dal’dro’ Self-Help Group, which runs a bakery unit established after skill development training provided by the College of Community Science. The equipment is expected to increase production, improve product quality and strengthen the group’s livelihood opportunities.

Officials said the initiatives are part of the college’s efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, farm mechanisation, women’s entrepreneurship and rural livelihoods through research, extension and technology transfer.

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