Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb praises farmers for producing 'queen pineapple' weighing 2.5 kg

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has praised farmers of Tripura for producing top quality 'Queen Pineapple', which was declared 'state fruit' by fruit by President Ramnath Kovind in the year 2018. The chief minister shared some photos on the microblogging site while praising farmers of Tripura - one of the largest pineapple growing states in the country - for producing pineapples that weigh 2.5 kg each. He also emphasised that the state government is leaving no stone unturned to double the income of farmers in the next two years.

"Kudos to the efforts of Tripura Farmers who are working hard & producing top quality queen Pineapple. Happy to receive queen Pineapples which are 2.5 KG each & produces more than 1 Liter of juice. Our Govt will continue to support the farmers' for doubling their income by 2022," Biplab Kumar Deb wrote on twitter.

Best quality of pineapple in the world

Pineapples grown in this hilly state of northeastern India are widely acclaimed and the state government has been taking various steps for the cultivation of the fruit. The famous 'Queen' variety has a GI tag and considered to be the best quality of pineapple in the world.

However, the tweet comes at a time when farmers of the state are facing the heat of the COVID-19-induced lockdown. Several pineapple growers are looking towards a poor business because of the non-availability of workers.

Moreover, a dry spell had also affected the crop which is immature and below the international export standards. Most of the farmers depend on rains for watering the crop.

Approximately 1.28 lakh MT pineapples are grown in the state every year. The state has orchards spread in around 8,800 hectares in different districts. While some of them are government-run orchards, most of them are privately owned. Over 4,000 people are directly connected to the cultivation of the pineapple fruit in the state.