Agartala, Jan 24
Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for the development of the Northeast, several key initiatives have been undertaken during his ongoing visit.
During his visit, Scindia laid the foundation stone for an Rs 80-crore Agarwood Cluster Processing Centre at Uttar Fulbari village, North Tripura. He explained that this initiative aims to advance the Prime Minister's vision of promoting local industries on a global scale and directly supports the 'Vocal for Local' and 'ODOP' policies.
He pointed out that Tripura and Assam are India's leading agarwood producers and that this scheme is designed to build on these states' natural advantages, strengthening the entire agarwood value chain from cultivation to export of finished products.
The Minister informed that two Central Processing Centres (CPCs) will be established under the scheme, one in Golaghat, Assam, and the other in Tripura. These centres will facilitate comprehensive processing, branding and marketing of agarwood products, eliminate middlemen and ensure that farmers receive the full value of their produce.
Scindia said several measures have already been taken to make the agarwood sector globally competitive. The process of obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) tag is underway; export quotas have been enhanced sixfold; agarwood chip exports have been increased from 25,000 kg to 1.5 lakh kg; and agarwood oil exports have been increased from 1,500 kg to 7,500 kg.
Additionally, all relevant permissions and sites are being integrated into a digital platform to enable farmers to access international markets directly. He emphasised that the scheme's core objective is to eliminate intermediaries and ensure that benefits reach farmers directly.
The Minister highlighted that nearly 90 per cent of India's 150 million agarwood trees are in the Northeast, especially Tripura. The initiative is expected to boost Tripura's production capacity by 50 per cent and potentially generate an annual sector turnover of Rs 2,000 crore, with direct global market access within the next three to four years.
To strengthen market access, buyer-seller meets are being organised to directly connect farmers with international buyers. Scindia cited a recent meeting with purchasers from Qatar as an example of such direct engagement. He said the initiative reflects Prime Minister Modi's approach of leveraging each state's unique strengths and added that sustained efforts over the past year have now begun to yield results.
The Minister expressed confidence that, through partnership with the Tripura government, the agarwood sector can achieve global recognition and set a benchmark for self-reliant economic growth in the region.
Scindia also noted that since he arrived in Tripura on Friday, he has launched several other development initiatives.
On Friday, he laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 220 crore, inaugurated projects worth Rs 220 crore, and reviewed the Agartala Government Inter College project (Rs 192 crore) and the Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Rs 200 crore).
He added that on Sunday, he will lay the foundation stone for the Matabari Tourism Circuit project worth Rs 280 crore.
- IANS
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