Tripura is making significant strides in agricultural diversification with the introduction of exotic fruits such as mangosteen, rambutan, and avocado, Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath announced on Friday. The initiative aims to enhance farmers’ income and create new opportunities for commercial cultivation in the state.
Addressing the media at the Nagicherra Horticulture Research Centre, Nath explained that mangosteen and avocado, previously not cultivated in Tripura, have now been introduced. “Mangosteen is highly valued, while avocado offers health benefits, especially for diabetic patients. We have brought two mangosteen saplings from Karnataka and planted them here. Rambutan, in both red and yellow varieties, is already under trial cultivation. If these fruits adapt well to our environment, we will encourage farmers statewide to grow them,” he said. Nath also revealed plans to introduce kiwi, blueberry, and blackberry in the near future, noting that currently 46 hectares are under avocado cultivation.
Turning to potato cultivation, the Minister highlighted efforts to reduce the state’s dependency on external sources for seeds. With 23,746 farmers cultivating potatoes across 7,622 hectares, Tripura previously relied on seeds from Maharajganj Bazar in Agartala, West Bengal, Punjab, or expensive True Potato Seeds from Nagicherra. To address this, a new seed production process was introduced through the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) in 2023–24 on 36 kani of land, with the resulting potatoes distributed to farmers across the state.
