Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, during his visit to Tripura, laid the foundation stone for an Rs 80-crore Agarwood Cluster Processing Centre at Uttar Fulbari village, North Tripura. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to promote local industries globally, supporting the ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘ODOP’ policies. The scheme aims to enhance Tripura and Assam’s agarwood production, leveraging their natural advantages to strengthen the entire value chain.
Two Central Processing Centres (CPCs) will be established in Golaghat, Assam, and Tripura under this scheme to facilitate processing, branding, and marketing of agarwood products. These centers aim to eliminate middlemen, ensuring that farmers receive the full value of their produce. Measures have been implemented to enhance the global competitiveness of the agarwood sector, including increasing export quotas and integrating permissions and sites into a digital platform for direct international market access.
Nearly 90% of India’s 150 million agarwood trees are in the Northeast, particularly in Tripura. The initiative is expected to boost Tripura’s production capacity by 50% and potentially generate an annual turnover of Rs 2,000 crore within the next three to four years. To strengthen market access, buyer-seller meets are being organized to directly connect farmers with international buyers, reflecting efforts to leverage each state’s strengths for economic growth.
Scindia emphasized the importance of eliminating intermediaries to ensure direct benefits for farmers. He expressed confidence that the partnership with the Tripura government will lead to global recognition for the agarwood sector, setting a benchmark for self-reliant economic growth in the region. The Minister also inaugurated various development projects during his visit, highlighting ongoing efforts to drive progress in the region.
