The Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Jyotiraditya M. Scindia along with Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday launched the ambitious Rs 236 crore “Mission Queen Pineapple” aimed at developing an integrated value-chain ecosystem for Tripura’s famous GI-tagged Queen Pineapple and transforming it into a globally competitive premium brand.

The mission, launched in the presence of Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath, has been designed as a three-year roadmap from Q2 FY2026 to Q4 FY2028 focusing on pineapple cultivation, processing, branding, value addition and export promotion across the state.

The convergence-led initiative, anchored by the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), will work in coordination with several central ministries and agencies including Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Commerce, MSME, APEDA, DPIIT, ICAR, CSIR, TRIFED, NERAMAC and the government of Tripura.

Addressing pineapple farmers, processors and investors virtually during the launch programme, Scindia said the initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of positioning the Northeast as a hub of high-value agricultural and horticultural products.

“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Tripura’s agricultural strengths are being transformed into globally competitive brands,” the Union Minister said.

He stated that the mission is not limited to crop cultivation alone but aims to integrate farmers into the entire value chain — from production and aggregation to processing, branding, packaging and exports.

“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,” Scindia added.

Highlighting the present challenges faced by pineapple growers, the Minister noted that despite the Queen Pineapple’s unique aroma, low-fiber texture and GI-tagged identity, farmers still receive only commodity-level prices due to weak market integration and inadequate infrastructure.

Under the mission, a “Hub & Spoke” post-harvest ecosystem will be developed, including one central hub near Agartala airport and eight spoke collection centres across major pineapple-growing regions in West Tripura, Khowai and Sepahijala districts. The infrastructure will include grading facilities, cold storage systems, reefer logistics, solar cold storage, IoT-enabled farm monitoring and digital traceability systems.

Scindia also announced the revival of the Nalkata Pineapple Processing Unit through a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) model to be implemented by NERAMAC in partnership with private stakeholders. The facility is expected to support commercial-scale processing and value addition of pineapple-based products.

The mission further aims to utilize nearly 60 percent of the pineapple plant, currently treated as waste, for producing value-added products such as Bromelain extracts, Pineapple Leaf Fiber (PALF) products and GI-branded confectionery items. These initiatives are expected to create employment opportunities for women Self Help Groups (SHGs), tribal communities and rural entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said pineapple has been declared the State Fruit of Tripura and highlighted the global potential of the state’s renowned Queen and Kew pineapple varieties.

He said the pineapples are naturally cultivated in Tripura’s hilly terrain without chemical inputs, making them exceptionally sweet, juicy and aromatic.

The Chief Minister added that the state government is actively promoting value addition, food processing, packaging, branding and market linkages to enhance farmers’ income and generate rural employment opportunities.

Tripura’s  Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath also addressed the programme and thanked MDoNER for launching the initiative.

MDoNER Secretary Sanjay Jaju, in his introductory remarks, said the mission would address key structural gaps in the sector, including post-harvest losses, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, lack of commercial-scale processing facilities, weak branding and limited GI monetization.

The mission will also include GI authorization workshops, QR-based traceability systems, buyer-seller meets, organic certification support, export-readiness measures and annual flagship events such as the “Tripura Queen Pineapple Festival” aligned with International Pineapple Day on June 27.

Officials of MDoNER, the Government of Tripura, farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders attended the launch programme.