Women-led cooperative in Boko boosts black pepper, turmeric exports

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 7, 2025

The women-led Pragati Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Society Limited has emerged as a model of financial resilience through the cultivation and export of black pepper and turmeric, with 1.5 quintals of black pepper exported from Boko last year.

The cooperative, established on June 23, 2023, under the Assam Cooperative Societies Act, 2007, held its annual general meeting on September 6 at Janata Bhawan in Bondapara, Boko-Chaygaon constituency. More than 300 women members participated, along with representatives from key institutions including the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Indian Spice Board, Assam Gramin Vikash Bank, and the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission.

With 551 active members across villages in the Boko block, the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) has focused on turmeric and black pepper cultivation as engines of economic empowerment. Reviewing the past year’s activities, the meeting discussed strategies to strengthen women’s participation, market linkages, and capacity building.

Dwijendra Mohan Barman, Deputy Director of the Indian Spice Board, urged members to expand turmeric and black pepper production while emphasising the importance of organic certification and intercropping. Calling black pepper “black gold,” he said, scientific cultivation could help women farmers become “lakhpatis.”

Robert H. Thauthang, Senior Officer of the NCDC, announced an Rs 850 crore investment package for the socio-economic development of the Northeast and noted that Assam now has 92 registered FPOs.

Rinku Haloi, Program Manager of the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission, Boko block, highlighted turmeric’s growing role in the local economy. He confirmed that Boko exported 1.5 quintals of black pepper last year alongside significant turmeric sales, and added that expansion plans are underway.

The cooperative has benefited from financial support, including Rs 34 lakh from Tata Trust, Rs 11.44 lakh from NABARD, Rs 8 lakh from the Spice Board, and Rs 7 lakh from the Selco Foundation. These funds have been directed toward capacity building, infrastructure development, mechanisation, and solar-powered processing units.

Speakers at the AGM expressed confidence that the cooperative’s success in collective farming, marketing, and value addition will expand in the coming years. The session concluded with proposals to further strengthen governance and explore new agri-based income avenues for women farmers.