Marketing of Indigenous Fruits: A Source of Income among Khasi Women of Meghalaya, North East India

The present research attempted to document the usage of important marketable indigenous fruits of Meghalaya, India and evaluated their role in addressing livelihood and food needs of the people of the state. Information on common marketable indigenous fruits were collected through informal interviews and market surveys conducted for a period of one year. Ten indigenous fruits were found to be widely sold in Iewduh, one of the largest open markets in the state. These fruits are available during different seasons of the year. Women are mostly involved in marketing and selling of these fruits, enabling them to generate additional cash income. The status of 5 out of 10 indigenous fruit trees were found to be wild, 3 semi-domesticated and 2 domesticated. Five fruits were found to have value addition, which is a way out to reduce the perishability rate of fruits. The study contributed towards knowledge based on indigenous plant resources and recommends measures for conservation and livelihood enhancement through value addition of this hitherto less researched bioresource of north-east India.