With the report of market crisis of Tripura grown pineapple, horticulture department today informed that as many as 1.72 lakh pieces weighing 193.10 MT best summer fruit of the state, pineapple including 113 MT world class queen variety has been exported in last one month.
According to report, besides 100 MT export to Bangladesh, Tripura farmers have sent at least six consignments of pineapple to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati so far and soon a few consignments would be dispatched in different parts of the state. However, this time except for Bangladesh no international export of pineapple was done as on the date.
The officials said that the state government through Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) has been trying to send more consignment of pineapple outside the state and also to start value addition by processing it. “The state government is committed to extend support the pineapple growers and for this, it was declared as state fruit last year by President of India Ramnath Kovind,” said a senior official of the horticulture department.
However, the pineapple growers in Western bordering villages of Tripura alleged that they faced a crisis of market this time. The production of pineapple was increased substantially following sell the produce in the Middle East but this time the global traders did not show much interest.
Because of a huge production, pineapple is not being sold in the local markets at the expected rate.
“We brought a small consignment of a few hundred pieces of pineapple in Sonamura market but failed to sell it for the last three days. Hundreds of pineapples have already decomposed at our orchard so far that pushed into severe hardship, said Abdul Malek, a traditional pineapple cultivator of Moinama under Boxa Nagar Block of Sepahijala district.
Since monsoon rain started pineapple will lose its pleasant aroma and flavour and soon be rotten.
More than 10,000 pieces of pineapple are being decomposed in orchard at Daudarani as no trader came to buy, said another Malek Mia of Bandrabari, one of the largest pineapple producing families of Tripura having several hundred acres of pineapple cultivating the land.
More than 500 farmers have cultivated pineapple in Sonamura this year and facing investment loss of about Rs 50 lakh, which would have an adverse impact on their livelihood and the economy of the villages.
However, the state government has sent a small consignment from a village of Kamalpur in Dhalai district to Bangladesh but due to price constraint, the traders across the border refused to buy it from Tripura.
Besides, procuring pineapple from hilly parts of Northern Bangladesh, Meghalaya has also started selling pineapple to Bangladesh at a cheaper cost, which has otherwise affected the market in Tripura, officials stated.
