Agartala, 6th June 2026: To make the state self-sufficient in mango production with high-value mango varieties, the State Horticulture Research Station has set up an exotic mango block to assess their performance, adaptability, and yield potential in the agro-climatic environment of Tripura.
This was informed by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath today after he took part in the inauguration ceremony of the Fruit & Vegetable Development Unit office building at SHRS, Nagicherra.
He said that an exotic mango block has been established with superior and high-value mango varieties (such as Yellow Banana, Doc-Mai, Red Palmer, Bari-4, Brunei King, Haribhanga, Katimon, Thai-1 Red, etc.) to assess their performance, adaptability, and yield potential in the agro-climatic environment of Tripura and to lay the foundation for future production and expansion of quality seedlings.
The Minister said that the State Horticulture Research Station (SHRS),, is a premier research institute in Tripura. It conducts strategic and applied research on various horticultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, coconut, betel nut, cashew nut, spices and aromatics, potatoes (ARC and IPS), mushrooms, tissue culture, and macro-propagation.
“The centre was initially established with the collection and introduction of germplasm of coconut, betel nut, red oil palm, cashew nut, pepper, and banana,” he said.
Speaking about the Fruit Development Unit, the Agriculture Minister said that, currently spread over an area of about 15 hectares, this fruit block has a rich collection of various indigenous and exotic fruit crops, which is making a significant contribution to the horticultural research and development of the state.
“The main objectives of the fruit block are the introduction, evaluation, and popularization of high-yielding, climate-tolerant, and market-oriented indigenous and exotic fruit varieties suitable for Tripura; selecting the best varieties for the state through conservation, maintenance, and evaluation of the adaptability of germplasm of various fruits; and innovation and development of modern technologies to increase the productivity, quality, sustainability, and profitability of fruit production,” he said.
He also informed that winter strawberry cultivation is being undertaken for commercial feasibility studies and demonstration purposes.
About the Vegetable Innovation Unit, the Minister said that the Vegetable Innovation Unit, located in the Fruit Block of the State Horticulture and Orchard Crops Research Centre (SHRS), has been established with the aim of developing and disseminating advanced vegetable production technologies to increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability in the horticulture sector of Tripura.
“Promotion of off-season vegetable cultivation and popularization of off-season vegetable cultivation technologies, such as summer cauliflower cultivation, among all categories of small, marginal, and commercial farmers are among its objectives. As a result, farmers are able to supply vegetables to the market during periods of demand and obtain higher prices and better financial benefits. The unit also aims to ensure the collection, conservation, evaluation, and research use of Tripura’s valuable indigenous germplasm, such as Surji and Bird’s Eye chilli and Shingaratha brinjal. Through this, the invaluable genetic resources of the state will be preserved and will play an important role in future improved variety development programmes,” he said.
He also informed that efforts are being made to expand the cultivation of yellow-skinned watermelon as a high-value alternative to conventional red-skinned watermelon. This will create new markets for farmers and increase opportunities for greater economic profit.
He said that under the PM-RKVY 2022-23 project titled “Better Seed Production of Potato through Apical Rooted Cutting (ARC) Technology”, the average potato productivity in Tripura has increased to 5,888 kg per hectare through the adoption of ARC technology, which is almost 90 per cent higher than the state’s previous average productivity.
He also said that during the last three years, i.e., 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, five new popular varieties of potato Kufri Moin, Kufri Himalini, Kufri Uday, Kufri Lima, and Kufri Thar-12 have been cultivated.
“Tripura aims to become self-reliant in the production of high-quality potato seeds through ARC technology by 2028-29 and reduce dependence on external seed sources. The state has set a target of achieving complete self-sufficiency in the production of ware potatoes by 2029-30,” he added.
