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Agartala, Jun 11: After proving its supremacy in the market of raw pineapple, Tripura is all set to touch new heights in production and marketing of processed pineapple in canned form.
This year, the first production unit established in Unakoti district of the state has set a target of five to ten lakhs pieces of processed pineapple in canned format for the national market.
Superintendent of Kumarghat agriculture subdivision Samiran Das said, “The farmers are largely benefitted by this initiative of the private group as they are getting better prices compared to the open market with an added advantage being the crop is procured much before it is ripe enough for the market”.
He said a large number of Pineapple growers of Dhalai and Unakoti districts are able to sell their crops directly to the manufacturer.
“A processing unit was established here in the Kumarghat industrial estate three years back. The production of canned pineapple had started from then but this year the production is expected to be upscaled to a decent level”, Das added.
Speaking to this reporter, a spokesman of the unit owned by Shree Ganesh Frozen Foods Private Limited has said, “The production and marketing from Tripura is not a challenge. It is a good place where manpower and raw resources are found in abundance. When we started the unit, the pandemic struck a major blow. In the later years, things get settled down and hopefully we can prepare ten lakh pieces of canned pineapple”.
According to him, the pineapple is procured from the farmers at a static price fixed by the farmers’ committee and the selling prices depend on the production. “Roughly the canned pineapple is sold at an average price of Rs 70 to 80 per can”, the spokesman added.
He also highlighted how certain key issues have been acting as stumbling blocks in the expansion potentials of the industrial estate.
“Marketing and production are going smoothly as from our end all sorts of technical arrangements and back up plans are working flawlessly. But, the key problems lie with some technical points that the government must address as soon as possible”, he said.
According to him, the main road that connects Kumarghat industrial area with the national highway is left in a dilapidated condition. The power outages are sometimes half a day long.
“If power supply and roads are not up to the mark, survival of industries in the area would be a herculean task. The industry owners can fix the roads that come under their jurisdiction but the rest should be done by the government and Tripura Industrial Development Corporation. Due to bad roads, large consignments of fruits are brought to the unit in small carriers which makes the transport job costlier. Similarly, if power supply is interrupted to and fro, production gets affected adversely” , said Amit Goyal of the unit.