Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launches ₹236 Crore Tripura Queen Pineapple Mission

Tripura:27/5/26:  The Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, together with the Chief Minister of Tripura, today launched the “Mission Queen Pineapple”, a ₹236 crore convergence-led initiative for pineapple cultivation and value chain development in the State of Tripura. The Mission is designed as a three-year implementation roadmap from Q2 FY2026 to Q4 FY2028 for promoting Tripura’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) — the GI-tagged Queen Pineapple.

Anchored by MDoNER , the Mission builds upon convergence with Schemes and interventions of the Ministries of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Commerce, MSME, APEDA, DPIIT, ICAR, CSIR, TRIFED, NERAMAC and the Government of Tripura for establishing an integrated pineapple value-chain ecosystem in the State.

Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region underscored Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of positioning the North Eastern Region as a hub of high-value agricultural and horticultural products.

Addressing the stakeholders, including the pineapple farmers, processors, and investors joining virtually, Shri Scindia stated, “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Tripura’s agricultural strengths are being transformed into globally competitive brands.”

Chief Minister of Tripura Prof.(Dr) Manik Saha said that pineapple was declared the State Fruit of Tripura. He highlighted that Tripura’s renowned Queen and Kew varieties of pineapple are grown naturally in the state’s hilly terrain without chemical inputs, making them exceptionally sweet, juicy, and aromatic. Agriculture Minister of Tripura Shri Ratan Lal Nath also highlighted the mission objectives and thanked MDoNER for the initiative.

Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, MDoNER  in his introductory remarks, elaborated on the implementation framework of the Mission and highlighted the need for a Mission-mode approach to unlock the full economic potential of Tripura Queen Pineapple. He underlined that despite being among the most aromatic and low-fiber pineapple cultivars in India, smallholder growers presently receive only ₹6–10 per kilogram at the farmgate level, whereas processed and export-grade products can command significantly higher value in domestic and international markets.

The Mission activities would also include GI authorisation workshops, QR-based traceability systems, GI monetisation frameworks, 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 27 June.

The Mission envisions transforming Tripura Queen Pineapple into a globally recognised premium brand while strengthening sustainable livelihoods, farmer-led value creation and export-oriented growth across the State.

The launch event was attended by officials of MDoNER and the Government of Tripura along with farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.