Agricultural Input-Output Delivery System in Meghalaya: Status and Prospects

Meghalaya is predominantly an agrarian economy with nearly two-thirds of the total work force engaged in agriculture and allied activities. Agriculture in the state is characterized by low productivity and unsustainable farm practice, giving high incidence of rural poverty. Since the development of farm sector depends not only on advancement in farm technology but also requires improvement in the market structure, the state of Meghalaya evolved a cooperative marketing model called MECOFED. The paper has examined the functioning of this cooperative marketing venture in the state and has suggested measures for the improvement so that the stakeholders may be benefited. The study has concluded that this public-private partnership concept can enhance the livelihood and income of farmers in the state through increased productivity of agricultural products.