By TC News Desk
Agartala, May 26, 2023: The North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) under Ministry of DONER, Government of India had undertaken Geographical Indication (GI) certification of 13 products of the NER of which the Tripura Queen Pineapple is one.
In continuation to NERAMAC’s endeavors towards promoting Gl, a Geographical Indication (GI) Awareness Seminar was held on Friday at Agartala. The main focus of the event was to user authorize 300 farmers to use GI tagging of the NERAMAC processed certification. The program was graced by Ratan Lal Nath, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare minister. Over 200 Queen Pineapple Producers attended the event.
The event was started with a welcome address by Commodore Rajiv Ashok (Retd), Managing Director NERAMAC, where he expressed that the GI initiative is a significant step towards promoting and protecting the traditional agricultural practices and products of the NER region. The initiative will provide recognition to the unique qualities and reputation of the Tripura Queen Pineapple and protect it from misuse and imitation. He also explained how the authorization process of farmers would enhance the competitiveness of the produce in domestic and international markets and create opportunities for increased income and livelihood.
Speaking to the occasion, Ratan Lal Nath, Agriculture Minister, shared that the GI initiative is part of the Gol’s broader efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, protect the rights of farmers, and enhance the country’s agricultural exports. The initiative has been welcomed by the farming community of Tripura and is expected to boost their morale and confidence in the traditional farming practices.
He said “The government has taken initiatives for “GI” tagging of indigenous cuisines ‘Gudok’ made with ‘Shidol’ dry fish and ‘Chakhwi’ made with bamboo shoots, and beverage ‘Langi’ which is a locally-made hygienic beer. Along with these, government processed files for GI tagging of ‘Kalikhasha’ aromatic rice, ‘Sabri’ banana, ‘Gandharaj’ lemon, ‘Binni’ rice also known as sticky rice, jackfruit, ‘Chanar Payesh’, Matabari ‘Peda’, etc.”
“The ‘Queen’ variety pineapples of 13,500 kilograms have been exported to different states across the country comprising 10 MTs to Prayagraj, 2 MTs to Guwahati and 1.5 MTs to Delhi.”
“The government has planned to organize ‘Buyers and Sellers Meet’ and send a group of farmers to Varanasi for talking directly with companies so that they can sell their pineapples to them”, Nath told the gathering of farmers and producers.
Event was also graced by Dr. Rajni Kant Dwivedi, a renowned Gl expert and Padmashri Awardee who spoke about the importance of North Eastern Region (NER) specific Geographical Indication (GI) products and emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to promote NER region-specific Gl products. Dr. Dwivedi’s insights shed light on the importance of promoting and protecting NER region-specific GI products which not only protect the unique identity and quality of the products but also create employment opportunities for local communities.
The event was also attended by Apurba Roy, Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare department.
