Reported by: Mrinal Kanti Banik
Agartala: The Government of Tripura will organise a three-day Pineapple Mahotsav in New Delhi from June 27 to promote its GI-tagged Queen Pineapple in both domestic and global markets, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Wednesday.
He said the event will be held from June 27 to 29 and will bring together different stakeholders from the sector.
During a preparatory meeting with officials from the agriculture, horticulture, forest and handloom departments, Nath said the government is trying to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the inauguration. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament will also be invited.
He said the Queen Pineapple, which has a GI tag and is also the state fruit, is being promoted to support farmers and expand its reach globally. The event is being organised to mark International Pineapple Day over three days.
Nath also said the state plans to spend Rs 236 crore under a scheme to develop the Queen Pineapple sector and improve marketing infrastructure, with support from the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), the Union Agriculture Ministry and the state government.
According to him, Queen Pineapple production stands at 1.77 metric tonnes across 12,097 hectares of land in the state.
He added that the fruit has already been exported to countries including Dubai, Germany, Oman and Russia in recent years.
The proposed plan includes setting up cold storage units, collection centres, processing facilities and refrigerated vans for better transport and storage of the fruit.
The government also plans to set up a processing centre to produce thread from pineapple leaves.
These projects will be implemented across pineapple-growing blocks such as Jampuijala, Mohanpur, Mohanbhog, Boxanagar, Kathalia, Killa, Padma Bill, Mungiakami, Tulasikhar, Manu, Gandatwisa, Durgachowmuhani, Kumarghat, Gournagar and Chandipur.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharya and senior officials also attended the preparatory meeting, officials said.