Union minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Wednesday, May 20, launched the “Mission on Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh,” a cluster-based kiwi cultivation and value-chain development programme designed to boost production, processing and market access for kiwi growers in the state. The event in Guwahati was attended by Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu, chief secretary Manish Kumar Gupta and DoNER secretary Sanjay Jaju.
The mission carries an approximate outlay of Rs 167 crore and is built on a whole-of-government, convergence-led model anchored by DoNER. It brings together the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, NABARD, ICAR-CITH, APEDA, NERAMAC and private investors to create an integrated value chain from orchard to market.
A cluster approach will drive implementation: six integrated cluster-level post-harvest management hubs have been identified across Ziro Valley (Lower Subansiri), Dirang and Kalaktang (West Kameng), Shi Yomi and Dibang Valley. The mission outlines more than 30 strategic interventions aimed at closing critical gaps — improving price realisation, restoring Arunachal’s lapsed NPOP organic certification, building cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure to eliminate the current seven- to ten-day distress-sale window, and linking thousands of farming households into a coordinated ecosystem for plantation development, processing, branding, traceability, export and experiential agri‑tourism.
Scindia framed the initiative within Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader agrifood strategy, saying the goal is to make farmers “true stakeholders in the entire agricultural value chain — from farm to fork.” He also highlighted the North East product-mapping exercise led by High-Level Task Forces for the eight states, which selects one unique product per state to build globally competitive value chains — examples he cited include Mizoram’s ginger, Nagaland’s coffee, Sikkim’s organic farming and Assam’s muga silk. “Today, with the launch of Project Kiwi in Arunachal Pradesh, we are taking another major step in building globally competitive value chains rooted in the strengths of the North East,” he said.
The mission will promote a regional brand, “Arunachal Organic Kiwi,” supported by media campaigns, participation in international trade fairs and pilot experiential kiwi-orchard tourism in the identified clusters, aiming to raise farmer incomes and position Arunachal’s kiwi on domestic and export markets.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/05/20/doner-minister-scindia-launches-mission-on-arunachal-kiwi/
Category: NATIONAL,News Alert,REGIONAL
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Publish Date: 2026-05-20 21:10:00
