Dibrugarh (Assam), 30 March (HS): Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday flagged off a convoy of tractors loaded with potatoes in Tingkhong, marking the commencement of a commercial supply initiative to PepsiCo India Holding Pvt Ltd.

The roads of Tingkhong witnessed an unusual yet significant sight as rows of tractors, filled with freshly harvested potatoes, lined up in a rally-like formation. However, unlike a political procession, the convoy symbolized an emerging agricultural movement in the region, with local farmers transporting their products to the market.

The commercial journey was formally inaugurated by Sonowal, while former MLA and Assam Cabinet Minister Bimal Borah felicitated each tractor driver with traditional gamochhas. The initiative reflects a growing momentum in organized farming and market linkage in the constituency.

The programme has been undertaken by the Dihingchang Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, formed under the patronage of Bimal Borah. As part of this agricultural push, farmers have been cultivating potatoes in the fertile alluvial lands along the Burhidihing and Disang rivers with support from PepsiCo India since the 2023–24 financial year.

Encouraged by favorable returns, farmers have expanded cultivation across nearly 240 bighas of land this year, setting a production target of around 4 lakh kilograms. Out of this, approximately 20 tonnes of potatoes have already been dispatched to PepsiCo India, highlighting the success of the initiative and indicating the onset of an agricultural transformation in Tingkhong.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash