BY TC News Desk
Agartala, January 24: Union Minister for Development of North East and Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia today, Saturday, laid the foundation stone of the Rs 80 crore Agar Wood Value Chain Development Project at Phulkabari in North Tripura district, on the second day of his Tripura visit.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a developed North-East, he has brought several development initiatives for the region during this visit. Some of these were dedicated to the people on the first day of the visit on Friday. The foundation stone of the Agarwood Value Chain Project was laid today, Saturday and the Matabari Tourism Circuit will be inaugurated tomorrow as one of the biggest gifts of the visit.
Union Minister Scindia said that India’s agarwood production capacity is mainly concentrated in Tripura and Assam and this project aims to inject new energy into the energy of both the states.
Complete agarwood value chain to be developed through Rs 80 crore project: Scindia
Union Minister Shri Scindia said that this project will strengthen the entire agarwood value chain, from trees in farmers’ fields to perfume bottles in the international market.
He said that under this project, two Central Processing Centres (CPCs) will be set up, one in Golaghat (Assam) and the other in this region of Tripura. These centres will enable mass processing, branding and marketing, eliminate middlemen and ensure that farmers get full value for their produce.
GI tags, increased export quotas and digital permits to enable access to global markets
Union Minister Scindia said that several important steps have been taken to make the agarwood sector globally competitive. The process of getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag is underway. The export quota has been increased sixfold. Agarwood chips export has been increased from Rs 25,000 per kg to Rs 150,000. Agarwood oil export has been increased from Rs 1,500 per kg to Rs 7,500 per kg. This commercialization of the agar industry is being integrated into a digital platform so that farmers can directly connect with the international market.
The Union Minister further said that the clear objective is to remove middlemen and ensure that the full benefits reach directly to the farmers.
Agarwood Sector of Phulkabari: A Living Example of ‘Local to Global’ and ‘ODOP’
Union Minister Shri Scindia said that the Agarwood field in Phulkabari is one of the strongest examples of Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Local to Global’, ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘One District One Product (ODOP)’.
He mentioned that India currently has about 150 million agarwood trees, of which about 90 percent are located in the northeastern states. Through this project, Tripura’s production capacity is expected to increase by up to 50%.
Tripura’s agarwood market has the potential to generate annual transactions worth Rs 2,000 crore through direct global connectivity
The Union Minister expressed confidence that within the next 3-4 years, the Tripura agarwood market alone has the potential to generate an annual turnover of Rs 2,000 crore.
Buyer-seller meetings are being organized to directly connect farmers with global markets. He mentioned a recent meeting with buyers in Qatar, where farmers were directly connected with international buyers.
* Promise to take Tripura to new heights under the guidance of the Prime Minister
Union Minister Shri Scindia further said that this project is a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of focusing on the unique strengths of each state. Continuous efforts have been going on towards this goal for more than a year and today those efforts have borne fruit.
He expressed confidence that in partnership with the Tripura government, the agarwood sector will be given global recognition, making the state a new benchmark in the journey of self-reliant India.
* Development initiatives continue for Tripura
Minister Scindia said that he is in Tripura today for the Agarwood project, several other development initiatives are also underway for the state. Yesterday, he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated the Rs 220 crore project. He reviewed the progress of the Agartala Government Inter-College Project (Rs 192 crore) and the Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Rs 200 crore) projects.
The Union Minister also said that he will lay the foundation stone of the Tk 280 crore Matabari Tourism Circuit on Sunday.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia visited the Shaivatirtha Unkoti tourist spot located in Kailashahar on Saturday afternoon.
He toured the architecture and sculptures of the Unkoti archaeological site. He learned about the current history and legends. He saw the stone statues carved on the mountain. He inquired about all these things. During the inspection, he was accompanied by the state’s Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Tinku Roy, Prisons Minister Shantana Chakma, Secretary of the North Eastern Regional Council Satinder Kumar Bhalla, Joint Secretary Anshuman De, along with senior officials of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tourism Department.
After visiting Unkoti, Union Minister Shri Scindia told reporters that Shaivatirtha Unkoti is a unique example of the ancient glory and splendor of India. It is a holy place. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a pledge for development in all fields, he said that work will be done in the coming days to develop the archaeological monument Shaivatirtha Unkoti. He also commented that Shaivatirtha Unkoti is a world-class monument.
