Agartala, June 28 (IANS) Union Ministry of DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) is actively considering a Tripura government project worth Rs 132 crore to expand the area of cultivation of Queen variety of pineapple and to make the delicious fruit as a global brand, Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath said here on Saturday.

The Minister said that several rounds of meetings were held with DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and he assured to help the state to expand the area of cultivation of the Queen variety of pineapple and to make the tasty fruit a global brand.

“Scindia assured us that he, along with officials, would visit the state to see the pineapple cultivation in the state. According to our discussion with him, we recently submitted the Rs 132 crore project to the DoNER ministry,” Nath told IANS.

He said that through a staggering process, the Queen variety of pineapple being cultivated in Tripura across 365 days of the year, not just as a seasonal fruit, has decided to start with 2,000 hectares.

Tripura is renowned for its Queen and Kew pineapple varieties, both of which flourish in the state’s unique hilly and humid climate with minimal chemical intervention. These pineapples are golden yellow in appearance and have a distinct, pleasant aroma upon ripening, said Nath, who also holds the power department.

According to the Minister, the fruit cultivation area in Tripura is 58,491 hectares, out of which 11,862 hectares are now under pineapple cultivation, producing around 1,74,016 metric tonnes annually, with an average productivity of 14.6 tonnes per hectare, slightly below the national average of 17 tonnes per hectare.

“The organic Queen pineapple yields about 12 tonnes per hectare, while the Kew variety has a higher productivity of 15.71 tonnes per hectare. The Queen variety pineapple was granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag status, which highlights the unique quality and distinctiveness in the state,” Nath said.

He said that before the BJP government came to power, farmers cultivating pineapple never reaped benefits.

“However, after the BJP government came to power in 2018, they have started reaping those benefits, and the government is helping them by facilitating exports to other states and countries,” said the Minister.

Tripura, for many years, has been exporting pineapples and lemons to many countries and many Indian states as well.

Tripura has occasionally exported the queen variety pineapples to Dubai, Qatar and Bangladesh, facilitating crores of trade for the state’s farmers.

Officials said that besides pineapples, Tripura also exported various other fruits, including lemon and horticultural products, to the UK, Germany and many other countries.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind, at a function in Agartala in 2018, announced the “Queen” variety of pineapple as Tripura’s state fruit. Besides pineapples, Tripura also exported a large quantity of jackfruit, tamarind, stone apple, betel leaf, ginger to the UK, Germany, Dubai, Bangladesh and other countries, as well as various Indian states.

–IANS

sc/dan