Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: The Tripura government will conduct trials on 18 additional grape varieties and extend technical support to farmers as part of efforts to promote grape cultivation in the state, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Wednesday.
Addressing a field day-cum-awareness programme on commercial grape cultivation and the launch of NABARD-funded projects at Chandipur in Unakoti district, Nath said the government would take a series of measures, including research, technology development, and farmer training, to expand grape cultivation.
The minister visited an orchard where sweet grapes have been successfully cultivated and distributed power-operated agricultural equipment to farmers.
Nath said scientists in the state have been conducting research on grape cultivation and have so far developed four varieties, including two wine grape varieties.
“After two decades, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Unakoti, resumed research and development work on grape cultivation in 2024. Preliminary success has already been achieved in terms of sweetness, yield, and fruit quality,” he said.
According to the minister, six grape varieties were brought from the ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes in September 2024 and planted in Tripura as part of the research initiative.
He said scientists were working to standardise cultivation methods suitable for non-traditional grape-growing regions such as Tripura.
Nath said the major challenges facing grape cultivation in the state include inadequate fruit sweetness, limited suitability of introduced varieties, excess rainfall, high humidity, non-availability of required agrochemicals, and a lack of technical knowledge among farmers.
To address these issues, special treatments, including nutrient management and growth regulator applications, have been introduced to improve fruit sweetness, he said.
Outlining future plans, the minister said the government would undertake trials on 18 more grape varieties, continue research and technology development, organise intensive training programmes for farmers, and develop grape cultivation clusters.
He said efforts would also be made to establish vineyards, provide technical support and inputs to cultivators, train farmers in grape juice and ready-to-serve beverage preparation, improve post-harvest management practices, and set up cluster-based small juice processing units.
Minister Tinku Roy, officials of the Directorate of Horticulture, and other stakeholders attended the programme.