Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, together with the Chief Minister of Tripura, launched the 'Mission Queen Pineapple' on Wednesday, a Rs 236 crore initiative focused on pineapple cultivation and value chain development in Tripura.
The Mission, designed as a three-year roadmap spanning from the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2028, aims to promote Tripura's GI-tagged Queen Pineapple, considered the state's Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Led by MDoNER, the Mission brings together schemes and interventions from various ministries and agencies including Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Commerce, MSME, APEDA, DPIIT, ICAR, CSIR, TRIFED, NERAMAC and the Government of Tripura, to establish an integrated pineapple value chain ecosystem.
Scindia emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of developing the North Eastern Region as a hub for high-value agricultural and horticultural products. Addressing stakeholders virtually, including pineapple farmers, processors, and investors, he stated, "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, Tripura's agricultural strengths are being transformed into globally competitive brands."
The Minister highlighted that the Mission's objective extends beyond cultivation to enabling farmers to actively participate across the entire value chain, from production and aggregation to processing, branding, packaging, and exports. He said, "Our goal is to build a complete value chain-from farm to global markets-so that farmers become active participants in the prosperity created by their produce."
While acknowledging the unique aromatic profile, low-fibre texture, and GI-backed distinctiveness of Tripura Queen Pineapple, Scindia noted that farmers receive only commodity prices due to weak market integration and lacking infrastructure. The Mission aims to address these issues through convergence-led investments and market-oriented interventions to significantly improve farmer value realisation.
Major infrastructure developments under the Mission include establishing a "Hub & Spoke" integrated pineapple post-harvest ecosystem, featuring one central hub near Agartala airport and eight spoke collection centres in key pineapple-growing clusters across West Tripura, Khowai, and Sepahijala districts. Facilities will comprise grading units, cold storage, reefer logistics, solar cold storage, IoT-enabled farm monitoring, and digital traceability systems.
The Mission will also revive the Nalkata Pineapple Processing Unit utilizing a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) model implemented by NERAMAC in partnership with private entities, supporting commercial-scale processing and value addition for pineapple products.
Regarding the Mission's bio-economy strategy, Scindia stated nearly 60 percent of the pineapple plant, currently discarded as waste, will be converted into value-added products such as Bromelain extraction, Pineapple Leaf Fibre (PALF) processing, and GI-branded confectionery. These initiatives aim to create new opportunities for women self-help groups, tribal communities, and rural entrepreneurs, reinforcing the circular economy around pineapple cultivation.
The launch programme included a screening of a short film on the Pineapple Mission, followed by discussions with progressive pineapple farmers from Tripura and remarks by investors and industry representatives.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha noted that pineapple has been declared the state fruit. He highlighted that the Queen and Kew varieties are cultivated naturally in the state's hilly terrain without chemical inputs, resulting in fruit that is exceptionally sweet, juicy, and aromatic. Saha said the state government is promoting value addition, food processing, packaging, branding, and market linkages to increase farmer income and rural employment, expressing confidence that support from MDoNER would help bridge productivity gaps and establish Tripura pineapple as a global brand.
Agriculture Minister of Tripura, Ratan Lal Nath, reiterated the mission's objectives and thanked MDoNER for the initiative. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of MDoNER, in his introductory remarks, detailed the Mission's implementation framework and stressed the need for a mission-mode approach to unlock the full economic potential of Tripura Queen Pineapple. He noted that although this variety is among the most aromatic and low-fibre cultivars in India, smallholder growers currently receive just Rs 6 to Rs 10 per kilogram at farmgate level, whereas processed and export-grade products command much higher prices in domestic and international markets.
Jaju further identified the Mission's focus on addressing structural sectoral challenges, including post-harvest losses, absence of integrated cold-chain infrastructure, lack of commercial-scale processing facilities, weak branding, and limited systems for GI monetisation and buyer linkages.
Activities under the Mission will include GI authorisation workshops, QR-based traceability systems, GI monetisation frameworks, buyer-seller meetings, organic certification support, export-readiness measures, and annual flagship events such as the "Tripura Queen Pineapple Festival", aligned with International Pineapple Day on 27 June.
The Mission intends to transform Tripura Queen Pineapple into a globally recognised premium brand while promoting sustainable livelihoods, farmer-led value creation, and export-oriented growth across the state.
The launch event was attended by officials from MDoNER and the Government of Tripura alongside farmers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders.