Instamart, India’s pioneering quick commerce platform, is expanding access to distinctive produce from Northeast India, making regional flavours available to customers across India. The initiative is aimed at creating new markets for the region’s farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) while making some of India’s most distinctive agricultural produce more accessible to consumers nationwide through sellers onboarded on its platform.
Starting with Meghalaya’s premium pineapples, now available to customers in Bengaluru, Instamart is opening up new markets for the region’s produce across India. Sourced through the Jirang Organic Agro Farmer Producer Company (FPO), the pineapples are air-freighted from Meghalaya to Bengaluru. Until now, growers largely relied on demand within the Northeast and wholesale markets in Delhi. By connecting farmer producer organisations directly with consumers in new cities, Instamart is helping expand market access for farmers through the sellers while introducing more households to the distinctive flavour and quality of Meghalaya’s pineapples.
The initiative was recently lauded by Meghalaya’s Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, in a social media post, which highlighted the effort as an important step towards strengthening market linkages for the state’s farmers and showcasing Meghalaya’s agricultural identity to a wider audience.
Gautam Swaroop, Chief Business Officer – Instamart, said, “India’s Northeast is home to some of the country’s most distinctive and high-quality fruits and vegetables, but much of this produce has traditionally remained accessible only within the region or a handful of markets. With Instamart’s reach, we have a unique opportunity to bring fresh local produce across the country while creating new market opportunities for farmers and producer organisations. Meghalaya’s pineapples are the first step in this journey, and over time, we hope to build a much broader assortment of Northeast produce for customers across India.”
Iba Thangkhiew, CEO, Jirang Organic Agro Farmer Producer, said, “For a Farmer Producer Company based in a rural and remote part of Meghalaya, this partnership is a proud milestone. It provides our farmers with direct access to premium markets and ensures that the hard work of our farming community reaches consumers far beyond our state. We are deeply grateful to the Government of Meghalaya, especially the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the concerned departments, for their constant support, guidance, and commitment to creating market opportunities for our farmers. This collaboration gives our farmers greater confidence, improves their livelihoods, and showcases the quality of Meghalaya’s produce to consumers across India.”
Over the next 12 to 24 months, third-party sellers listed on Instamart plan to expand Northeast sourcing across India through partnerships with more Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), farmer collectives and regional agencies.
As part of the roadmap, several GI-tagged and region-specific products from the Northeast are being evaluated, including Meghalaya’s Khasi Mandarin, Assam’s Karbi Anglong Ginger and Tezpur Litchi, and Manipur’s Kachai Lemon. The company is also exploring products such as kiwi and garlic from the region as their seller’s build a broader assortment.
The initiative will build on Instamart sellers’ wider fresh produce sourcing network, which already works with 430+ FPOs and touches over 10,000 farmers across the country to bring high-quality fruits and vegetables directly to consumers. Instamart aims to facilitate sustained demand for the region’s premium, GI-tagged produce while making these distinctive products more accessible to households beyond their traditional markets.
