AGARTALA:
As a goodwill gesture, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, on July 14, sent 750 kg of Kew Pineapple to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This was the first time that such a large quantity of pineapples was gifted to Bangladesh after the formation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Tripura in 2018.
Horticulture department of Tripura, the nodal department for research and promotion of pineapple and other key fruit crops of the state, facilitated the handing over ceremony at Integrated Check Post (ICP), Akhaura.
Speaking on the occasion, assistant director Tripura Horticulture Department Dipak Baidya said, “It’s a goodwill and friendship gesture from our state. We are sending 100 boxes of Kew varieties of pineapple weighing 750 kg. Each pineapple weighs 1.25 kg, and it is the best harvest so far.”
He further informed that the department is getting good response from countries such as Dubai and Qatar and demand of the pineapples are soaring.
As for exporting the pineapples to Bangladesh, the official said that it was exported to the nation till 2018, however the exports were stopped in 2019 as Bangladesh started growing the fruit.
Notably, in a similar gesture, on June 20, PM Hasina had gifted 800 kg of Amrapali mango to the Chief Minister and other dignitaries.