Pineapple Dreams – Tripura Bets On Its Queen To Go Global

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – In the lush, undulating hills of Tripura, where the monsoon mist wraps the land in a gentle hush, a sweet revolution is underway—powered not by technology or infrastructure, but by fruit. Specifically, the Queen pineapple.

Golden-yellow, fragrant, and surprisingly resilient, this spiny fruit is fast becoming Tripura’s ambassador to the world. Now, with a proposed Rs 132 crore project awaiting approval from the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the state is aiming to take its prized pineapple beyond borders—both literally and symbolically.

The Queen variety of pineapple isn’t new to Tripura. Cultivated across the state’s hill slopes with minimal chemical input, this variety is as much a part of the local landscape as bamboo groves and red clay. But what’s new is the ambition: to transform the Queen pineapple into a globally recognized brand and staple of India’s horticultural exports.

Currently, Tripura dedicates 11,862 hectares to pineapple cultivation, yielding nearly 1.74 lakh metric tonnes annually. While the state grows both the Queen and the higher-yielding Kew varieties, it’s the Queen that has captured hearts—and earned a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its distinct taste, aroma, and origin. It’s also grown organically and harvested nearly year-round, making it ideal for sustained commercial push.

If the project is approved, the first phase will bring an additional 2,000 hectares under Queen pineapple cultivation. That expansion won’t just mean more fruit—it will mean more farmers gaining access to stable incomes, more local economies lifted by trade, and more consumers around the world discovering what locals have long known: that Tripura’s Queen pineapple isn’t just sweet, it’s special.

The state has already dipped its toes into the export market. In recent years, shipments of Queen pineapples have landed in Dubai, Qatar, and Bangladesh, with international interest continuing to grow. Alongside pineapples, Tripura also exports jackfruit, tamarind, betel leaves, ginger, lemons, and stone apples to countries including Germany and the UK.

Back in 2018, when former President Ram Nath Kovind declared the Queen pineapple as Tripura’s state fruit, it was more symbolic than strategic. But now, with targeted government support and a structured expansion plan, that symbol is turning into a blueprint for development—one sweet slice at a time.