- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, May 24, 2022 : Tripura’s mouth-watering ‘Queen’ variety of pineapples’ consignment procured from Mohanbhog block, about 61 KMs away from Agartala city boarded freight flight for New Delhi market on Tuesday.
The Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Government of Tripura facilitated in sending the four quintals consignment of ‘Queen’ variety pineapples to Safal, Mother Dairy in New Delhi on Tuesday while Krishak Veej Kalyan FPC Limited, Mohanbhog in Sepahijala district of Tripura sent the consignment.
The Tripura’s ‘Queen’ Pineapple is a Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged fruit and Sesta Development Service, a Guwahati-based organization working objectively for the FPO project in the different blocks of the state have initiated providing market linkages to the Farmers Producers Companies. It has planned for its marketing beyond the northeast on different produces.
The first consignment of this year 4 quintals of fresh ‘Queen’ Pineapples was air-freighted to New Delhi by Indigo Airlines from Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here in Agartala on Tuesday.
The ‘Queen’ Pineapple was sourced from Krishak Veej Kalyan Producer Company, Mohanbhog block, Sepahijala Tripura.
Guwahati’s SDS is also planning to procure similar fruits and vegetables from the farmers’ Producers Company across the state. Due to landslide railway related restrictions in movement etc., SDS is taking the lead in providing national marketing linkages to the FPCs.
It may be mentioned here that the Queen Pineapple is also the state fruit of Tripura and it is a much-revered crop of the farmers of the state.
The locals strongly believe that even if any other crop fails because of unfavourable circumstances, the pineapple will stand tall being the viable crop for survival providing substantial income each year.
It is worth mentioning here that the farmers of Tripura have pioneered the art of cultivation of the queen pineapple and the state is one of the largest pineapple growing states in India with commercial-scale plantations spread across the state.
Tripura grows an estimated 1.28 metric tonnes of pineapple every year across 8,800 hectares of land. The productivity of pineapple per hectare is 18.73 tons which are higher than the national average of 15.80 tons.
Notably, the production of ‘Queen’ variety pineapples in Sepahijala district holds the record for the highest yield per hectare. The records say that more than 4,000 growers are actively involved in the cultivation of Tripura’s state fruit.
