Government of Meghalaya recognizes best performing young farmers with awards and seed-money

Shillong : The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, through the office of the Principal, Basic Agriculture Training Centre, awarded the achievements of 8 Best Performing candidates from different districts a cash prize of Rs 50000 each to support their venture under the visionary programme titled, ‘The Training of Rural Educated Youth for Self-Employment on Farm-Based Activities’ (TREYSEFA)’. The programme was held at the IATC building, Upper Shillong.

Dignitaries in attendance included Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare as the Chief Guest, along with Smti Isawanda Laloo, IAS, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Smti D.C. Sohtun, M.A.S, Director, Horticulture, Shri Maqbool L Suiam, Principal, Basic Agricultural Training Centre (BATC), and Smti Monica Mawroh, M.A.S. Senior Instructor, Basic Agricultural Training Centre (BATC) and officials from other allied departments.

In her address, Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare said, “I am deeply honoured to see the potential of the BATC for training and guiding young youths who are involved in various agricultural activities.” Farmers are the backbone of the State, and it is the duty of the Government to support them in every aspect they require. Hon’ble Minister commended all the awardees and candidates and urged them to work hard and dedicate their time and efforts.

She added that the Government is keen to bring policies and reforms to strengthen the agricultural department and return empower farmers so that the local produce will be accessible in the markets to make the State self-sufficient. She also stated that the government will bring accessible funds which will enhance their livelihood. 

Shri Maqbool Suiam, Principal, BATC in his keynote addressed stated that this programme celebrates the TREYSEFA candidates who have completed their training and is the first time that such a program is being organized by the BATC. In 2018, TREYSEFA was initiated to impart training to the youth especially from the rural areas in order to make them self-sufficient and get jobs in the agriculture sector. In 2021, Rs 10000 which was being provided as seed money to the candidates was raised to Rs 1 lakh.

TREYSEFA is an on-campus training programme conducted through classroom lectures and practical hands-on training. It involves field demonstrations, field exposure visits, teaching the youth about economics potentiality, post-harvest technology, market linkages, planning, finance, investment, and overall management, for self-sustainable livelihood and entrepreneurship. Since, 2018, the TREYSEFA programme is organised annually.

The event involved distribution of awards and handing over of the seed money of Rs 1 lakh to 20 TREYSEFA candidates of the batch 2023-24 to kickstart their ventures. A short documentary on the achievements of the candidates was also displayed.