Quick Commerce Unlocks New Markets for Farmers in India’s Northeast

• Instamart takes Northeast's Distinctive Produce Across IndiaMeghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma recognises the initiative for expanding market access for the state's farmers
• Plans to bring more GI-tagged produce from the Northeast to consumers across South and West India. 
• Khasi Mandarin, Karbi Anglong Ginger, Tezpur Litchi and Kachai Lemon among products being added in the quick commerce basket

Instamart, India's pioneering quick commerce platform, is expanding in Northeast India. The initiative is aimed at creating new markets for the region's farmers and FPOs while making some of India's most distinctive agricultural produce more accessible to consumers nationwide through sellers onboarded on its platform.

Starting with Meghalaya's premium pineapples, now available to customers in Bengaluru, Instamart is opening up new markets for the region's produce across India. Sourced by sellers through the Jirang Organic Agro Farmer Producer Company (FPO), the pineapples are air-freighted from Meghalaya to Bengaluru. Until now, growers largely relied on demand within the Northeast and wholesale markets in Delhi. By connecting farmer producer organisations directly with consumers in new cities, Instamart is helping expand market access for farmers while introducing more households to the distinctive flavour and quality of Meghalaya's pineapples.

The initiative was recently lauded by Meghalaya’s Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, in a social media post, which highlighted the effort as an important step towards strengthening market linkages for the state's farmers and showcasing Meghalaya's agricultural identity to a wider audience.

Gautam Swaroop, Chief Business Officer - Instamart, said, "India's Northeast is home to some of the country's most distinctive and high-quality fruits and vegetables, but much of this produce has traditionally remained accessible only within the region or a handful of markets. With Instamart's reach, we have a unique opportunity to bring fresh local produce across the country while creating new market opportunities for farmers and producer organisations. Meghalaya's pineapples are the first step in this journey, and over time, we hope to build a much broader assortment of Northeast produce for customers across India."

Iba Thangkhiew, CEO, Jirang Organic Agro Farmer Producer, said, "For a Farmer Producer Company based in a rural and remote part of Meghalaya, this partnership is a proud milestone. It provides our farmers with direct access to premium markets and ensures that the hard work of our farming community reaches consumers far beyond our state. We are deeply grateful to the Government of Meghalaya, especially the Hon'ble Chief Minister and the concerned departments, for their constant support, guidance, and commitment to creating market opportunities for our farmers. We also sincerely thank the Instamart team for partnering with us and making it possible for our fresh Meghalaya pineapples to reach customers in Bengaluru. This collaboration gives our farmers greater confidence, improves their livelihoods, and showcases the quality of Meghalaya's produce to consumers across India."

Instamart introduced produce from the Northeast earlier this year with Meghalaya pineapples and is now set to expand the selection by working with partners across the region. The company is also in discussions with the Northeastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) to explore opportunities to bring more produce from additional states and farmer producer organisations.

As part of the roadmap, several GI-tagged and region-specific products from the Northeast are being evaluated, including Meghalaya's Khasi Mandarin, Assam's Karbi Anglong Ginger and Tezpur Litchi, and Manipur's Kachai Lemon. The company is also exploring products such as kiwi and garlic from the region as it builds a broader assortment.

Over the next 12 to 24 months, Instamart plans to expand Northeast sourcing across South and West India by partnering with more Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), farmer collectives and regional agencies.

The initiative will build on Instamart's wider fresh produce sourcing network, which already works with 430+ FPOs and over 10,000 farmers across the country to bring high-quality fruits and vegetables directly to consumers. At Instamart, two-thirds of fruits and vegetables are sourced directly from farmers and FPOs, through more than 55 collection centres- with most farmers having stayed on for six seasons or more. By extending this network to the Northeast, Instamart aims to create sustained demand for the region's premium, GI-tagged produce while making these distinctive products more accessible to households beyond their traditional markets. The model is built on removing layers, not adding them, so a greater share of the earnings flows back to the farmer.

About Instamart

Launched in August 2020, Instamart is India's pioneering quick commerce platform. Present in 131+ cities, Instamart has superior technology and a dedicated delivery fleet to bring groceries and other daily essentials to the doorsteps of Indians.

Meghalaya's NESAC Driving Northeast’s Growth with Space Technology

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has reaffirmed that the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) in Meghalaya has become a vital institution, supporting both India’s strategic priorities and the socio-economic development of the Northeast through advanced space technology. His visit on July 14, 2026, highlighted NESAC’s role in border mapping, disaster management, agriculture, and governance.

The North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) is a premier institution under the Department of Space, Government of India, established in 2000 as a joint initiative with the North Eastern Council. It provides space technology support for development, governance, and disaster management across the eight Northeastern states. 

NESAC’s Strategic and Developmental Role

• Geospatial Mapping: Satellite-driven mapping of the India–Myanmar border and inter-State boundaries in the Northeast.
• Technology-Driven Projects: Agriculture, forestry, water resources, geosciences, urban planning, UAV applications, satellite communication, and disaster management.
• Project Portfolio: Nearly 130 projects, including 50 completed and 78 ongoing initiatives.

Key Initiatives Highlighted

• Bamboo Mapping Programme: Collaboration with NECBDC and State Governments to strengthen the bamboo value chain and create sustainable livelihoods.
• Flood Early Warning System: Enhancing precision and location-specific capability to provide timely alerts to vulnerable communities.
• Water Harvesting Models: Wider adoption of successful models, including the Ramakrishna Mission initiative in Cherrapunjee.
• GeoTourism Dashboard ‘ManzilNE’: Promoting the Northeast’s natural, ecological, and cultural heritage with private sector participation.

Broader Impact

• Bridge Between Science and Governance: Space technology as a tool for planning, governance, resource management, and public service delivery.
• Collaborative Approach: Partnerships with Central Ministries, State Governments, academia, start-ups, and private industry.
• National Priorities: Supporting strategically important border regions with geospatial capabilities.

NESAC Project Portfolio

Category	Projects
Completed	50
Ongoing	78
Total	128+

Conclusion

Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Northeast has become one of India’s most dynamic growth frontiers. With science and technology as enablers of inclusive development, NESAC is poised to play a pivotal role in governance, disaster resilience, sustainable resource management, and regional prosperity.

Climate Change: Meghalaya Planning 'Climate Change' Museum and A Subject in Schools; Exploring Pineapple for Vegan Leather

Pandemic is nothing, but climate change is going to be devastating: Mr. James Sangma Cabinet Minister for Forest & Environment and Power, Meghalaya

Meghalaya is planning to set up a Museum on Climate Change to sensitize people, exploring pineapple for vegan leather and also is building a consensus to introduce climate change as a subject in the school curriculum: James Sangma.

India has potential in the Food and Agri sector what it had in IT: Mr Manoj Kumar, Co-founder of Araku Coffee

Pandemic is nothing, but climate change is going to be devastating, said James Sangma, Cabinet Minister for Forest & Environment and Power, Meghalaya while delivering a keynote address virtually on Monday night on day one of the TiE Sustainability Summit 2021, on being organised by TiE Hyderabad.

76% of our land is forested. It is one of the top 5 states for BioDiversity. We have a unique forest economy. We want to be a silicon valley for green-based products. Forests are the best carbon removal investments and reforestation strategies and improving forest management together have a large potential to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, he said.

Meghalaya is one of the major pineapple producing states in India. It contributes 8% of the total pineapple produced in India. Pineapple is the most important fruit crop of the state. We are working on PineApple for Vegan leather. We are also building a consensus to introduce climate change as a subject in the school curriculum to sensitise children. A climate change museum is also around the corner. We hope to inspire action on the climate crisis through this museum. Climate change is a defining challenge of our times. We must rise to fight it together, Mr James Sangama said.

James Sangma - Cabinet Minister for Forest, Environment & Power, Meghalaya

The Climate Museum is creating a culture for action on climate, inviting people from all walks of life into the conversation and building community around just solutions. Most people in the US are worried about the climate crisis but silent and inactive. Building on the popularity and trust held by museums, we bring people together to learn about solutions and join the fight for a brighter future, providing multiple pathways into civic engagement.

India has potential in the Food and Agri sector which it had in IT, Mr Manoj Kumar, Co-founder of Araku Coffee said. He was in conversation with

Mr Suresh Raju, Partner, Jupiter Alternative Investment Fund on "Showcase: "Araku Coffee from Tribal India to Paris" at one of the sessions later on Monday night.

Araku Coffee has a store in Paris in Paris’ Le Marais district and another was recently opened in India in Bangalore. The globally recognised coffee brand known for its farmer-friendly and sustainable practices thus had a lot of interest from the participants.

 

Suresh Raju in conversation with Manoj Kumar, Co-founder of Araku Coffee

Araku, a remote valley in Andhra Pradesh, achieved global recognition, with its award-winning coffee. Coffee is now available in many countries. It also has a store in Bangalore.

It is a 22-year-old journey. Today the tribals are lakhpatis. Their average earnings are 3 to 4 times more of the national average, he said. And added that the tribals in the eastern ghats found their niche.

Though Naxal infected, very harsh living conditions where giving birth to a child is almost considered as dieing. The Britishers raised coffee there in the 19th century. The 2,000sqkm valley with iron-rich soil was producing some of the finest crimson coffee cherries, handpicked by Adivasi farmers. I saw huge potential in them but I had to address them first on Health, Education and livelihood, he said.

I saw a 2,000sqkm valley with iron-rich soil producing some of the finest crimson coffee cherries, handpicked by Adivasi farmers. It was an 8 years-long project. We formed them into groups and subsequently into the cooperative which is now the world's largest organic coffee cooperative.

We restored close to lakh hectares of forest through this venture. We are now replicating this model in Himachal Pradesh to grow fruits, in UP, Vidarbha and helping Kerala and Orissa and fight climate change.

Shillong To Be Transformed Into Space Tech Capital of The East

Representational Image

Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North East Region said that NESAC (North Eastern Space Applications Centre) has enabled the States to address issues and challenges of North Eastern region with the support of space technology. “The organization can also provide the required strategic inputs for the entire region for its overall development and strategic planning”, he said.

Speaking at the NESAC Society Meeting, held today at NESAC, Shillong, Shri Kishan Reddy informed that between 2014 and 2021, the assets of NESAC almost tripled from Rs 41.6 crores to Rs 112 crores. And this is a clear example of the Prime Minister’s commitment and his mantra, “Sabka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab ka Vishwas” being implemented on the ground. Activities of NESAC are focused on the practical applications of space technology in agriculture, and allied fields like silk farming where it can help in early detection of diseases, etc, he added.

“As all of us know, Shillong is called the ‘Scotland of the East’ due to its scenic beauty. However, with the efforts of NESAC, I am sure it will soon be known as the ‘Space Tech Capital of the East,’ the Union Minister said. He further stated that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that all the states of the North Eastern region have the same opportunities as other states to develop on part with the rest of India.

Acknowledging NESAC’s achievements, the Union Minister said that the Center has helped preserve forests by assessing forest fires and protecting endangered wildlife such as rhinos by studying the changing land cover. It is also noteworthy that NESAC has used satellite communication for telemedicine, and tele-education and about 1000 programs are conducted each year, he added.

Besides, NESAC has helped to address the unpredictability of mother nature through weather prediction, and forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, and providing early flood warning and provides urban planning support and States can leverage on this to assess traffic congestion, property encroachments, and the mapping of utilities and assets, he said.

Recently, with support from NEC, NESAC has released North Eastern Spatial Data Repository (NeSDR) with about 950 datasets. These datasets are related to infrastructure, land and water resources, assets & utilities, terrain, disaster management support inputs and action plan inputs to empower developmental planning and monitoring activities in NE region.

All the States are to take advantage of this data sets by signing MoUs with NESAC for specific activities such as detecting encroachments, and epidemic planning. ‘’We must also effectively use the facility of NESAC for promotion of culture and tourism as well, which has lots of potential in the region. As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, I invite the Chief Ministers of North eastern states to collaborate, co-ordinate and celebrate our freedom through ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ events. These events should concentrate on the overall development of the region,” said shri Kishan Reddy.

Extending his appreciation to NESAC for undertaking crucial projects and working under the able guidance of Shri Amit Shah ji, the Union Minister said, “As Amit Shah ji is the President of the NESAC Society and the Chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC), I am confident that NESAC would expand its foot print and prove to be a model of development for other States as well, as it paves way for holistic development of the region.”

The Union Minister for DoNER then joined the Hon'ble Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah Ji at the foundation stone laying ceremony for Multi-purpose Convention Centre cum Space Exhibition Facility of NESAC.