Tripura government mulls producing wine from jackfruit

The Tripura government is contemplating the production of wine from jackfruit, which grows abundantly in the state, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said during a review meeting on November 18. 

Highlighting the bright prospects for horticulture in Tripura, Nath said, "We are taking new initiatives. For instance, we are now cultivating avocado. The Central Government also believes that Tripura has great potential in horticulture. We are emphasizing its importance and working to increase farmers' incomes. Today, we held a review meeting, and the budget has allocated funds for horticulture. A budget of Rs 130 crores has been sanctioned for this department. Our main aim is to achieve self-reliance in horticulture."  

He further stated that Tripura aims to become self-reliant in potato seed production by 2027-28. 

“We have adopted the True Potato Seed (TPS) system, which allows us to cultivate potatoes. This system is not available elsewhere. Using this method, we can grow 30 MT of potatoes per hectare. On the other hand, with the Apical Rooted Cutting (ARC) system, which we started last year, we found that production reaches around 60 to 65 MT per hectare. Farmers are happy with this system, and the availability of seeds has quadrupled. If we continue this progress, we will achieve self-reliance in potato seed production by 2027-28. Due to recent floods, we are currently providing potato seeds at a reduced cost,” he explained.  

Nath also shared that the government is focusing on pineapple cultivation and exploring the potential of jackfruit.  

“We are planning to produce wine from jackfruit. This will benefit farmers as jackfruit contains sugar, which is essential for winemaking. We are sending a sample to Imphal Agriculture University, where an expert will analyse it, and we will await their response. This matter was also discussed in today’s meeting. Additionally, we are planning to organise an Orange Festival in Agartala,” he added.