Northeast Set to Become Global Agri-Export Powerhouse

In a decisive step toward realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blueprint for the Northeast, the Centre on Wednesday rolled out Mission Queen Pineapple Tripura—a Rs 236-crore program that aims to transform the state’s signature fruit into an internationally recognized premium brand. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who inaugurated the scheme with Tripura’s top leadership, described the initiative as a comprehensive value-chain overhaul rather than a conventional production drive. Over the next three fiscal years, the mission will coordinate efforts across eight central ministries and agencies to build end-to-end infrastructure that lets farmers move from field to foreign supermarket shelves. A new central hub near Agartala Airport, supported by eight strategically located collection centers, will provide cold-chain logistics, IoT monitoring, and digital traceability. Meanwhile, the long-idle Nalkata processing plant will be revived to manufacture value-added pineapple products and extract high-value compounds such as bromelain from plant waste. Scindia stressed that the Queen Pineapple’s GI tag has so far failed to deliver commensurate returns because of fragmented supply chains and limited branding. The new ecosystem—complete with solar-powered cold storage and reefer transport—will close that gap, ensuring growers receive prices that reflect the fruit’s unique aroma and texture. By channeling previously discarded biomass into fiber and enzyme production, the mission will also create thousands of ancillary jobs for women’s groups and tribal entrepreneurs. The minister concluded that the Northeast’s emergence as a high-value agricultural exporter is no longer an aspiration but an active, funded project with clear timelines and measurable outcomes.