Pineapple is natural habitat of humid tropical region. Pineapple is an evergreen perennial plat which does not have dormancy and will continue to grow as long as environment favours. Most of the Pineapples are grown in the region between 25˚N and south of equator.

Temperature range of “18˚C to 32˚C” is most favourable for Pineapple Cultivation. In Tripura the summers are warm to hot (19˚C to 36.8˚C) and wet, while the winters are cool (8˚C to 27.5˚C) and comparatively dry. Plant growth decreases rapidly at mean temperatures below 15˚ C or above 32˚ C. In Tripura low temperatures occur from December to January and potentially inhibit growth during winter and Queen Cultivar can initiate reproductive development below 10˚ C; however fruit formation is drastically affected and will eventually impact on the harvest dates. High (above 35˚ C) and low (below 10˚C) temperatures affect development and retard growth. Pineapple plants are most productive under dry environments where low rainfall is supplemented with irrigation in well - drained soils. Pineapple performs well in relatively low water regimes; it requires as much as 5 cm of water per month from rain and irrigation, in the subtropical areas of Tripura elevation and aspects are of particular importance in deciding the site for pineapple cultivation. Therefore most pineapple plants are planted on hill sides of escape frost. Pineapple thrives well when planted on a north - easterly aspect where they receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Pineapple plants require sandy soil and good drainage to prevent water logging therefore purposely built raised beds on slopes are utilized. Well drained loamy soil with high organic matter and a pH of 4.5 - 6.5 with low Calcium content is best for pineapple Cultivation. The dark brown and reddish -brown basaltic and sandy loams are considered ideal for Pineapple production. The experiences of north eastern regions shows that fruit grows well in a wide range of soils, from the new alluvium of plains to old alluvium of the sub-mountainous tracts as well as the lateritic soils of the hills so long as land is not waterlogged at any time of year. Probably no other fruit crop is possible where most of the Pineapple orchard are exists in the region

Tripura Queen Pineapple is commercially propagated by suckers in Tripura. The suckers arise and grow from buds below the ground level. The slips arise from fruit stalks. They are smaller than suckers but borne more in number per plant than suckers. The crown grows on the top of the fruit. It is the vegetative growth at the top of the fruit, attached to the central core of the fruit. Fruit stalks cut into bits known as discs can also be used for propagation. Among sucker slips and crown the first two are better for early fruiting but for planting uniformity in sizes i.e. in terms of weight is a per condition for a uniform field and crop situation.

An area with 30-40% slope is generally selected for Tripura Queen Pineapple cultivation. In the North East Region, the most common method of initial clearing of the land for plantations is by way of slash-and-burn. No formal organic compost is added to the soil for planting. Only in cases where cow dung or other compost materials are available, they may be added to the pits that have been dug for plantation. The land is generally prepared by hoeing but in areas where the slope is not too steep, the land may be levelled by ploughing to facilitate uniform distribution of water and nutrients. Alternate crisscross rows are made using a bamboo across the slope, which helps in soil and water conservation. In most hill areas of the North East Region, the fields are not ploughed but uniform rows are demarcated either across the slopes or along the slopes where the suckers are planted at uniform spacing (in the case of mono-cultivation) or random spacing if planted along with other perennial crops such as banana, papaya, etc.

The land should be thoroughly ploughed and pulverized to a good tilt. Tripura queen pineapple is mainly planted just at the onset or the offset of monsoon, in order to avoid heavy precipitation in the pre establishment period of the plants. Though the best time for plantation in Tripura would be May to June, but availability of suckers during this period is scarce as the fruits attaining maturity at this time and the cultivators are reluctant to for desuckering. So in general practice planting in Tripura is done during late August to early October taking the advantage of post monsoon soil moisture.

Before planting the suckers or slips should be sun cured and fry leaf scales at the base should be removed. Suckers should be planted in 10 cm deep hole but the heart of the suckers must not be buried. Planting may be done in single row or double rows following triangular and rectangular system. The following is the spacing required for different plant population per hectare.

The region has remarkable advantages of fertile and organically rich soils, ample rainfall and water resources, river valleys, swamps and streams and great climatic diversity supporting diverse cropping possibilities. Cultivation is based on organic manure and is accompanied to a significant extent with use of improved seeds. It is interesting to note that wastes via manure and the waste generation process through animal feed and vegetable waste are used North East region is so into organic farming that one would not come across a single fertilizer shop there. Thus, the Pineapple coming from this region is free of any chemical residue. In organic farming, no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used. Normally farmers use urea to increase the weight of the pineapple, which is not used in organic farming. Because the crops cannot be treated (dipping) with insecticides/ fungicides on organic pineapple plantations, the farmer is forced to pay particular attention to the quality and origin of the shoots (diseases that can be transmitted from crop to crop). This is especially the case for shoots that have been bought. In principle, it is recommended to use shoots from the plantation itself and to work very carefully.

In the majority of organic plantations, local varieties are planted together with other crops either in agro forestry or mixed crop systems. Examples exist where Pineapples are planted as a rotation-fruit with green fallow land and other crops. The farming plan will depend upon which cultivation form is adopted (agro forestry system, mixed crops as a bottom culture, crop-rotation etc.). A pineapple monoculture is not permitted in organic farming systems. To prepare the land used for pineapple production green manuring plants like e.g. Vigna unguiculata, Crotolaria juncea or Mucuna capitata can be sowed prior to the pineapples.

Earthling up is an essential operation in pineapple cultivation aimed at good anchorage to plants. It involves pushing the soil into the trench from the ridge where trench planting is a common practice. As the pineapple roots are very shallow, the plants are eventually lodged especially under conditions of flat-bed planting in heavy rainfall areas. Lodging of plants when the fruits are developing would result in lopsided growth, uneven development and ripening of fruits. This operation becomes more important in ratoon crops, as the base of the plant shifts-up, crop after crop. High-density planting would minimize the necessity of this operation, as the plants prop each other preventing lodging.

Tripura Queen Pineapple is grown mostly as a rain-fed crop in Tripura because the region receives ample rainfall. However, irrigation is necessary during dry spell, especially November to March at 20- 25 days interval ensure good crop. Off season production is not possible without 4-6 irrigations in dry hot months, since stomata of pineapple leaves never open during sunlight due to xerophytic nature of plants. The roots are very sensitive to water logging therefore, tilla (small hillocks) land is most suitable due to good drainage.

Tripura is one of the leading Pineapples growing State in the country. There are two varieties of pineapples available in the State, Kew variety which is the processing variety and the Queen variety, the table variety normally used for fresh consumption. The Pineapple season in Tripura ranges from the month of June to December with July-August as the peak months.

Normally, pineapple flowers 10-12 months after planting and fruits are ready for harvest after 5-6 months of flowering. Besides time of planting, flower induction practices with certain chemicals or growth regulators influence the season of harvest. 25 ppm ethephon to mature plants with 39-42 leaves after 7-8 planting or Ethrel @ 0.025 ml/l with 50l cow dung solution can be applied at centre portion. Ethrel @ 0.025 ml/l + 2 % urea + 0.04 % Sodium carbonate induce more than 90 % flowering, as urea helps in better absorption and sodium carbonate increases release of ethylene. Therefore for 1000 plants, 50 litres of solution has to be prepared by dissolving 1.25 ml of ethrel + 1 kg of urea + 20 g of sodium carbonate. Around 50 ml of this solution has to be poured in the crown. Similarly, 95 per cent of flowering within 56 days could be induced by applying 50ml of solution containing calcium carbide (1%) and urea (2%) at the age of 12 months. In ratoon crop of Giant Kew, calcium carbide (1%) and urea (2%) applied in the whorl of plants in September-October induced flowering within one month and the fruits were ready for harvesting in first week of March to end of May. The planting and flower induction schedule can be planned as follows so as to accomplish staggered harvest and unbroken market availability throughout the season i.e. from October to May. Although, growth regulators or chemicals can induce flowering at any stage of the plant growth, forcing the plants to produce flowers at an early stage reduces fruit size. Therefore, when plants of optimum size (35-40 fully grown and active leaves) are induced to flower, better fruit size is obtained without any adverse effects on the ratoon crop.

The period between planting and harvesting of pineapple is usually two to two and half years. The stage of maturity at harvest is dependent on the required storage or shelf-life and the method of transportation to the export markets. The level of yellow coloration of the “eyes” of the fruit judges maturity. Various colour stages are categorized as follows:

CS1: all eyes green, no traces of yellow;

Fruits are mainly harvested during July-August. However, a small crop is harvested during December to March also. By regulating the crop, harvesting is possible almost 8 month a year. Sugar content should be assessed in the field prior to harvesting to ensure adequate sugar development. A minimum of 10% is generally required although this may vary with the market. Sugar content is not always related to the colour stage as agronomic and production factors will affect sugar development. For the export market where sea-shipment for seven to fourteen days is used, fruits should be harvested at CS1, where the fruits show no yellow colour development on the eyes (ensuring that checks have been made on the sugar content). For air-freighted shipments, although generally cost prohibitive, harvesting can be carried out at CS2 to 3. Those harvested at more advanced stages are more susceptible to mechanical damage and over-ripeness. Fruit maturity can also be assessed on random samples by determination of the flesh condition. This is carried out by slicing the fruit horizontally at the point of largest diameter; in fruit for sea-shipment export; the fruit should show limited development of translucent areas. Where more than half of the area is translucent, the fruit is considered beyond optimum maturity. Pineapples harvested by hand are snapped from the stalk using a downward motion. The fruit should be placed in field crates and while in the field, left in shaded conditions. Collection in the field and field to pack house transport using sacks or bags will cause mechanical damage and increase the level of rejection. On arrival at the packing facility, the stems and the crowns should be trimmed to 2 cm (0.5”) and 10 cm (4”) respectively. Out grading should be made of all fruits which are undersize, oversize, over-ripe, under-ripe (depending on the market requirements), damaged, bruised or show fungal or insect damage.

According to records of the Agriculture department, Tripura’s pineapples production estimated to be around 1, 26,994 tonnes during 2017-18. The area under cultivation is estimated every year across 8,728 hectare orchards in different districts including Sonamura in Sepahijala district, Kamalpur in North Tripura and Ambassa in Dhalai district, while the productivity is around 14.55 MT/ha. While some of the orchards are run by the government, most of them are privately-owned. Over 4,000 pineapple growers are directly connected to the cultivation of the fruit. Two cultivars of pineapples are largely grown in the State, Kew variety which is the processing variety and the Queen variety, the table variety normally used for fresh consumption. The Pineapple season in Tripura ranges from the month of June to December with July to August as the peak months. Economic life of a pineapple plantation is expected to be around 4 years considering one main crop followed by two ratoons as the one crop cycle. On completion of one crop cycle the plantation is uprooted and the land is cleared and prepared for replanting adopting various soil fertility as well as soil amendment practices.

There is always a very good demand of Indian pineapples in the internal markets. It is in high demand from the processing industry as well. Indian pineapple is exported to Nepal, U.K., Spain, Italy and U.A.E. The main products of export are canned slices, titbits, juice etc. Now, Tripura to export queen pineapples with unique tags, logo. National Institute of Design has designed unique tags and logo for boxes to make the produce more attractive, while maintaining the quality of queen pineapples.

Tripura is one of the largest pineapple growing states in the country and there are more than 100 commercial scale pineapple plantations spread throughout the state. Tripura is turning into a commercial hub with large market in Japan, European countries and even in United States. Experiments on high density planting, staggered planting and use of flower inducing hormones are being conducted to increase the productivity of pineapples at the Horticultural Research Centre at Nagicherra, in West Tripura district. Preliminary results indicate the possibility of advancing the availability of pineapples by about two months before the normal season. Pineapple growers in the state have benefited from these results in terms of yield and increased availability period of fruit during the year. It has also helped in engaging the workers throughout the year, thus creating employment opportunity. This method was first introduced only in 25 ha of farm land in the year 2005 but it has now extended to 200 ha area.

Tripura State Horticulture Corporation is gearing up to sign a MoU with Dabur h/t. Ltd., Dharmapal Satpal Group of Industries and North Eastern Regional Marketing Company (NERAMAC) to sell raw pineapple to the tune of 71, 000 t/year. NERAMAC had set up a fruit juice concentration plant, in the year 1988, in Nalkata with an initial capital investment of Rs.30 Million. The Tripura Small Scale Industries (TSSI) and NERAMAC are utilizing Tripura pineapples for making juice, jelly and concentrates. The biggest fruit processing units in Bangladesh, PRAN also utilizes pineapples of Tripura for making vermin products. For the last few years NEMMAC- the Central Agricultural Marketing Agency and Tripura Small Industries Corporation have come forward to help the grower by establishing mini-fruit processing units. But the capacity of these units is inadequate. Meanwhile, a Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) has been set up to look after the marketing aspect of pineapples grown in Durchawi. Last year, the PACS arranged for the export of 1,200 million pineapples to Bangladesh.

Pineapple growers in Tripura are gearing up to meet the ltalian demand for canned and bottled pineapple products. The arrival of Pijush Agro Tech, a fruit processing unit in Ushabazar area in Agartala, provides the growers of pineapple with a new ray of hope.

Recently a tribal women group from Tripura’s pineapple growing tracts is to put to use the technical back-up and training received from the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) for commercial exploitation of pineapple leaf fibre (PALF).

The president of India Ram Nath Kovind decleared Tripura’s Queen variety of pineapple as state fruit and said its export was a major step in connecting the state in world trade (The Times of India, 2018). The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently sanctioned the Agri Export Zone Scheme for the entire North East Region at Tripura. Under this scheme, enhanced international market access would be provided to the farmers besides necessary infrastructure, flow of credit transport assistance and other facilities for promoting agricultural export through pineapple cultivation. Apart from that the new export-import Policy of the Government has given a major thrust to agricultural export by removing export restrictions like registration requirement, minimum export price and exports through the State agencies. All these initiatives are expected to boost the trade potential of pineapples grown in Tripura and other parts of the region.

In view of Tripura’s inherent strength with regard to organic cultivation of this crop and also in view of the price competitiveness of pineapple products in the international market it was decided to set up an Agri Export zone for Pineapple. The zone will cover districts of Kumarghat, Manu, Melaghar, Matabari and Kakraban Blocks. This project involves a total investment of around Rs. 16 crores, out of which ₹ 8.11 crores will flow from the Central Government agencies, ₹ 1,16 crores from State Government agencies and the remaining by the private sector.

The following list shows the leading catchment areas of markets of Pineapple in Tripura in the three major districts.

Naturally, many of the pineapple gardens were replaced with rubber plantations. The ones which couldn’t be replaced still produced plenty to surpass the demand of the state, which reduced the prices (Market price of pineapple is ₹ 43/kg while retail price is ₹ 49 – 55/kg) (Suchiradipta and Sarvanan 2018). In spite of that, with the current prices of pineapple in the state, the unit cost of investment is ₹ 40,936 per 0.4 acre (1 kani), which is affordable for a small farmer. The net income per unit is around ₹ 64,664 with 147% return on investment. Considering producers only get 30-40 per cent of the consumer’s money, better connectivity with consumers and reducing market intermediaries will greatly increase the economic benefits of pineapple cultivation in Tripura (MART, 2011). Lack of processing facilities or export initiatives resulted in wastage of huge quantity of pineapples in the state every year. With fall in rubber prices in the international markets, there has been a new found interest in pineapple production, processing, and export in the state. Presently, 8,848 ha area is under pineapple production with 128,971 tonnes yield (14.43 tonnes/ ha is the average productivity).

But so far, inadequate processing facilities in the state, so, rise in production without proper market or cold storage infrastructure will result in distress sale of the surplus (currently the wastage is up to 30 %), resulting in a more significant dip in interest of the growers to take up pineapple production. In the recent times, climate change is also adding to the woes of the pineapple farmers (Business Standard, 2016). Tripura has been notified as an Agri Export Zone (AEZ) for pineapple but except recent exports of few consignments to Dubai, the export to Bangladesh is also at standstill aggravating the market glut.

Pineapple exports to Bangladesh have been stopped for past few years which have hit the pineapple growers. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has exported two consignments (1.05 tonnes each) of Kew variety of pineapple to Dubai in 2017 and based on the positive feedback and high demand, agreements for more are also underway (The Assam Tribune, 2018).