Agartala: The Tripura government will begin trials of 18 additional grape varieties and expand technical support to growers as part of a broader push to promote commercial grape cultivation in the state, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath announced on Wednesday at a field day–cum–awareness programme in Chandipur, Unakoti, where NABARD-funded projects were also launched. Nath visited an orchard where sweet grapes have been successfully raised and distributed power-operated agricultural equipment to local farmers.
The minister said state scientists have so far developed four grape varieties, including two suited for wine production, and highlighted that Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Unakoti, resumed research and development on grape cultivation in 2024 after a gap of two decades. “Preliminary success has already been achieved in terms of sweetness, yield, and fruit quality,” he said. According to Nath, six varieties were brought from the ICAR–National Research Centre for Grapes in September 2024 and planted in Tripura as part of the research initiative.
Scientists are working to standardise cultivation methods that can be adopted in non-traditional grape-growing regions such as Tripura. Nath identified the main challenges facing expansion as inadequate fruit sweetness, limited suitability of introduced varieties, excess rainfall and high humidity, shortages of required agrochemicals and a lack of technical knowledge among farmers.
To address these constraints, the government has introduced special treatments, including nutrient management and growth regulator applications, aimed at improving fruit sweetness and overall quality. Looking ahead, authorities plan to conduct trials on the 18 additional varieties, continue research and technology development, organise intensive training programmes for cultivators and develop grape cultivation clusters.
The government also intends to promote vineyard establishment, supply technical inputs, train farmers in value-added processing such as grape juice and ready-to-serve beverages, enhance post-harvest management and set up cluster-based small juice processing units to support market linkages. Minister Tinku Roy, officials from the Directorate of Horticulture and other stakeholders attended the programme.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/tripura/tripura-to-trial-18-new-grape-varieties-after-success-with-four-types.html
Category: Northeast News,Top News,Tripura
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Publish Date: 2026-06-03 23:34:00
