Govt apathy! Pineapples sold by farmers at ₹19/kg at Lakhipur sold at ₹300/kg in Dubai

July 25: Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur constituency of Cachar district in Barak Valley is best known for its juicy pineapples. Of late, these pineapples of Lakhipur has earned wide fame not only in other parts of the country but also in abroad. The juicy pineapples of Hmarkhawlien are now sold at Rs,300 per kg in Dubai. But the irony lies in the fact that the cultivators of Hmarkhawlien gets only Rs.19 per kg for these pineapples.

In 2019, for the first time, the sweet pineapples from Lakhipur found its place in the markets of Dubai. A total of 10,000 pineapples, weighing around 15 metric tons were exported by the specially designed refrigerated van. But since then, no attempt was taken in this connection at the government level in the last 3 years.

Meanwhile, a business firm in Bengaluru has taken the opportunity and in last week, they have purchased 15 metric tons of pineapples from Hmarkhawlien at Rs.19 per kg. The Bengaluru based firm directly exported these pineapples to Dubai, where the juicy fruits are sold at Rs.300 per kg. This incident came to light after a tweet by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal on 25 July, 2022. 

दुबई में पहुँची असम की मिठास,
किसानों को बेहतर आय दे रहा, कछार का अनानास I pic.twitter.com/9l8BdthgeA

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 25, 2022

In the tweet, Union Minister Goyal wrote, “The sweetness of Assam has now reached Dubai. The pineapples of Assam are giving better income to the farmers.” This indeed came as a surprise for the people of Cachar. Many were in doubt as to when did the pineapples from Cachar go to Dubai and how! Soon, Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy shed light on this issue. Dr Roy in a tweet wrote, “Unfortunate to see that due to non approval of BCAS for cargo movements from Kumbirgram airport, the pineapples sold at 19/kg from Cachar finding buyers at Dubai at 300/kg, via Karnataka. Request early course correction !” He tagged the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal & Airport Authority of India in his tweet.

Unfortunate to see that due to non approval of BCAS for cargo movements from #Kumbirgram airport, the pineapples sold at 19/kg from #Cachar finding buyers at #Dubai at 300/kg,via Karnataka

Request early course correction !@PiyushGoyal @JM_Scindia @Gen_VKSingh @AAI_Official pic.twitter.com/T1mYFJcBfT

— Dr Rajdeep Roy MP ( MS, MCh) (@drrajdeeproy) July 25, 2022

It needs mention here that last year, there was abundant of pineapple production at Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur constituency of Cachar district, As per the data shared by Cachar District Agriculture Department, 2000 farmers produced a total of 2.5 crore pineapples. They hoped that the government will take initiative in exporting the pineapples. However, last year some pineapples were sent to Guwahati and this year to Bengaluru. 

The farmers growing pineapples at Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur expressed the view that in case of prevalence of a proper trading mechanism, these sweet pineapples grown without the use of any artificial fertilizer would find great acceptance both in the country and in abroad. However, initiate in this connection shall have to be taken by the concerned government departments.