Itanagar, May 20 (IANS) Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday launched the “Arunachal Kiwi” mission, a cluster-based kiwi cultivation and value chain development initiative aimed at boosting production, marketing, and economic growth in Arunachal Pradesh.

With an outlay of approximately Rs 167 crore, ‘Mission on Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh’ has been designed through a whole-of-government, convergence-led approach, anchored by MDoNER. The mission, woven together with the schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, NABARD, ICAR-CITH, APEDA, NERAMAC, and committed private investors, an official statement said.

The Mission has been shaped with the perspectives of all stakeholders in the value chain in mind, ensuring that interventions reflect the ground realities and the aspirations of Arunachal’s kiwi-farming communities. The Mission adopts a cluster-based approach with six integrated cluster-level Post-Harvest Management Hubs identified across Ziro Valley (Lower Subansiri), Dirang and Kalaktang (West Kameng), Shi Yomi, and Dibang Valley.

According to the official statement, over 30 strategic interventions under the Mission seek to address critical gaps across the kiwi value chain, bridging the price-realisation gap, restoring Arunachal’s lapsed NPOP organic certification, building cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure to end the 7 to 10-day distress-sale window, and integrating thousands of farming households into a unified ecosystem of plantation development, post-harvest processing, branding, traceability, export, and experiential agri-tourism.

The DoNER Minister underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to ensuring that farmers become true stakeholders in the entire agricultural value chain – “from farm to fork. “Emphasising the convergence-driven character of the initiative, the Minister said: Through the High-Level Task Forces constituted with all 8 Northeastern states, and in collaboration with all the Chief Ministers and governments of the 8 states, we have identified one unique product from each state with a distinct unique selling proposition, like from Mizoram’s ginger and Nagaland’s coffee to Sikkim’s organic farming, Manipur’s polo heritage, Assam’s muga silk and Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric.”

He said: “Today (Wednesday), with the launch of Project Kiwi in Arunachal Pradesh, we are taking another major step in building globally competitive value chains rooted in the strengths of the Northeast.”

The Minister congratulated the Ministry of DoNER, the Arunachal Pradesh government, and all partner institutions for coming together in a true whole-of-government and whole-of-India approach. This is not just a government scheme or a ministry-led initiative; it is a first-of-its-kind collaborative model bringing together the Central and state governments, NABARD, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, ICAR, APEDA, and the private sector to strengthen the entire kiwi value chain, from the farmer to the market, he stated.

DoNER Minister said: “At every stage, interventions have been identified to ensure better shelf life, value addition, premium market access and higher incomes for our farmers.”

The Minister noted that the Mission on “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh” has been designed as a full-value-chain development initiative to transform Arunachal Pradesh from a distress-selling Kiwi-producing region into a premium, traceable, single-origin organic Kiwi economy with strong domestic and international market presence.

He highlighted that despite contributing over 50 per cent of India’s kiwi production with more than 7,050 MT annually, farmers receive only Rs 20-40 per kg for Grade C produce and around Rs 120 per kg for Grade A, while imported kiwi commands significantly higher prices in Indian and global markets. Stressing the need to strengthen FPOs and reduce intermediary dependence, the Minister stated that the Mission is anchored in four strategic pillars: Convergence, Value Addition, Branding, and Market Integration.

He further outlined key targets, including extending shelf life, reducing distress sales, creating 2,000 MT cold-chain capacity, improving processing and value-addition facilities, promoting kiwi start-ups, increasing farmers’ income, and positioning Arunachal Organic Kiwi in international export markets by FY 2028.

Scindia further highlighted that the initiative envisions Brand Northeast – “Arunachal Organic Kiwi”- supported through media campaigns, participation in international trade fairs, and experiential kiwi orchard tourism initiatives in the pilot clusters.

He noted that the Mission strategically leverages Arunachal’s natural November –January harvest window, which falls precisely within the New Zealand off-season — offering Arunachal Organic Kiwi a unique market opening in South-East Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets. The Mission also seeks to promote farm-stays and farm-to-fork tourism experiences across Ziro Valley and Dirang, positioning Arunachal Pradesh as a niche destination for organic horticulture tourism.

The Minister noted that the true success of the initiative would be reflected when “Arunachal Organic Kiwi” secures premium shelf space in both domestic and international markets — traceable to individual farmers through QR-enabled packs — while ensuring a four-to-six-fold increase in farmer value realisation for kiwi-growing communities across the state.

He situated the Mission within the larger vision of “Brand North East” — one USP for every state — Organic State (Sikkim), Ginger of Mizoram, Queen Pineapple of Tripura, Coffees of Nagaland, Lakadong Turmeric of Meghalaya, and now Organic Kiwi of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Minister assured farmers and stakeholders that the Government stands “side by side” with them and remains fully committed to developing a globally competitive speciality organic kiwi ecosystem for Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed deep appreciation to the DoNER Minister for conceptualising and anchoring Mission on Arunachal Kiwi. The USP of Arunachal Pradesh is described as a defining moment in the state’s agricultural and economic journey.

Khandu noted that Arunachal Pradesh is India’s largest kiwi-producing state and the first state in the country to receive organic kiwi certification under MOVCD-NER (2020), a milestone that the Mission is now converting into a structured pathway for farmer prosperity, value addition, and global market integration.

–IANS

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